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“The agreement, consisting of a preamble and 32 articles, regards essential aspects of the life and activity of the Church in Palestine, while at the same time reaffirming the support for a negotiated and peaceful solution to the conflict in the region,” the Vatican said in a statement Jan. 2.

Parishes in areas of the St. Louis Archdiocese affected by flooding responded to people in need and made plans for a coordinated community response. “Keep us in your prayers,” said Pam Manuel, parish secretary at St. Bridget of Kildare Parish in Pacific, 35 miles southwest of St. Louis.

The floods have caused damage collectively estimated to be around 5.8 billion pounds ($8.6 billion). Rain fell at record levels across northern England throughout December; Scotland and Northern Ireland also were affected. The worst-hit areas were in northwestern England, in counties covered by the Diocese of Lancaster.

Refugees making their way toward Europe and the United States are seeking a better, safer life, refugee advocates said. At the same time, many politicians and citizens have begun debating the country’s moral and political responsibility when it comes to assisting those in need and defending the country’s borders.

While retracing the events of 2015 may recall moments of both joy and sorrow, it also offers a moment to understand the presence of God who “renews and sustains with his help,” Pope Francis said during an evening prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica on New Year’s Eve.

Papal visits to Cuba-the United States, South America and Africa were number 1 on the top ten church stories of 2015.

The Islamic State attacks in northern Iraq displaced more than 120,000 Christians, as well as minority Muslims and Yezidis. Today, many of those people live in Irbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.

“The situation here is worse than the (post-) earthquake scenario. It will be a very harsh Christmas for us this year,” Father Pius Perumana, director of Caritas Nepal, said Dec. 22 from Kathmandu, the capital.

“It isn’t a question of opposing someone else’s position or defending particular values for their own sake, but rather of interpreting the unchanging summons of the Gospel in a deeply evangelical way for the present times,” Archbishop Polak explained.

The announcement was made Dec. 23 in Aachen, Germany by the prize’s executive committee. Citing his address to the European Parliament in 2014, the committee commended the pope’s message of “peace and understanding” as well as “compassion, tolerance, solidarity and the integrity of creation throughout his pontificate.”