The Christmas fair in Madrid was the work of Fundación Contemplare, a nonprofit set up to help Spain’s monasteries continue a legacy of gourmet baked goods and handmade candies but also, more importantly, to support contemplative life and reconnect monasteries with the world around them.

A Reflection for Friday of the Third Week of Advent, by Colleen Dulle

Global reaction among bishops to the Vatican’s declaration that priests may now bless same-sex couples appears most divergent in some European and African nations.

Why must we be reminded of Caesar Augustus while we are not able to forget Jesus? 

This year in Bethlehem, we are waiting for a hope that I am not sure I would even be able to believe in anymore, except that it does not entirely depend on us.

In his annual Christmas address to cardinals and bishops who work at the Vatican, Pope Francis said the real division in the church since Vatican II is “between lovers and those who have lost that initial passion.”