I spent the past year writing about the economy through the lens of Catholic social teaching. Here’s what I learned.

The South African human rights campaigner and Anglican clergyman was known throughout the world for his human rights accomplishments. But above all, he was a committed priest and person of deep prayer.

The new policy instructs priests who currently celebrate a form of the Mass, sometimes called the Latin Mass or Tridentine Mass, which was supplanted with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, to request permission from the archbishop if they wish to continue using the extraordinary form.

In his letter to families, like in “Amoris Laetitia,” Pope Francis paid tribute to the strength and tenacity of couples as they face real difficulties together on the journey of life.

Can we allow this truth, this person named Jesus—this God for whom love alone is credible—to truly possess our hearts in the year ahead?

“The Word became flesh in order to dialogue with us,” he insisted. “God does not desire to carry on a monologue, but a dialogue. For God himself—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—is dialogue, an eternal and infinite communion of love and life.”

This is what we should ask Jesus for at Christmas: the grace of littleness.

Danger, death, disbelief appears everywhere. We shall not be overcome.

The gospel is more recipe than record. The only way you know that you have received the gift of Christmas is to live in love.

Here’s a rundown of some of the issues the pope tried to keep at the forefront of the news in 2021 and articles about them you may have missed.

The pope’s talk was aimed at promoting a synodal culture, rooted in humility, at the heart of the central government of the church.

The 75-year-old Canadian Jesuit will replace Cardinal Peter Turkson on an interim basis.

Our Dispatches contributors were kind enough to share some thoughts on what stories are likely to be important in 2022 as we cross off, in some relief, the concluding days of 2021.

In an inversion of the typical Yuletide tale, characters who have much less than the McCallisters generously provide them with assistance.

I wanted children to hear the story of the nativity through the eyes of a child, not the experience of an adult. And so the character of Leah began to take flight in my imagination; I wanted my young readers to see the first Christmas through her eyes.

Christmas is a season of blessing. So do not put away the carols (or the lights) until you have to.

A Reflection for the Thursday of the Fourth Week of Advent

“It’s a Wonderful Life” is the Gospel transposed onto celluloid. The message is the same in both.

Do the new restrictions on the celebration of the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass increase our unity? Or do they sacrifice unity for uniformity?

The Vatican has reaffirmed its support of Covid-19 vaccines with both the head of the Pontifical Academy for Life and a Holy See communique reiterating Pope Francis’ insistence that getting inoculated is “an act of love.”