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.