My go-to for holiday comfort is generally British TV shows. Any TV trip to the U.K. feels instantly like a vacation.

The latest boutique hotel to open its doors in Bethlehem’s Old City, just minutes away from Manger Square, is the Morcos Nassar Palace, which doubles as a humanitarian project unique in Palestine and possibly in the Arab world.

Kelly DeRoy, a core member, and John O’Connor, an assistant who has acted as a caretaker at L’Arche GWDC, share their insights about the community’s unique Christmas traditions.

A reflection for Thursday of the Fourth Week of Advent, by Ashley McKinless

Coinciding with the winter solstice, the Longest Night is a prayer service aimed at offering comfort to people who struggle with the in-your-face, over-the-top joy sometimes demanded during the Christmas season.

In the Gospel, the passion accounts are dramas. The infancy stories are tableaus. They simply want us to see something.

Parliamentary inquests have been used in the past to dig deeply into unresolved Mafia crimes and terrorist attacks, and can be activated to conduct investigations “on matters of public interest,” according to the Italian Constitution.

A Reflection for Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent, by Colleen Dulle

Nation-states have modeled a holistic approach that involves all who were affected by injustice and may contribute to a solution. The church can do the same as a response to the clerical sex abuse crisis.