"We shall discover the meaning of Christmas in a quiet way and hope for the return of harmony and peace,” said Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore.
Pope Benedict XVI advanced the sainthood causes of Pope John Paul II and Pope Pius XII, declaring that both had lived lives of "heroic virtues."
“I think he’s making a tragic and horrible mistake,” said David Robinson, head of Pax Christi USA.
This year’s Vatican Christmas tree is from the Wallonia region of Belgium.
Negotiators from small nations were outraged when an agreement was leaked that included generous emissions for industrialized nations.
The Senate bill "should not move forward in its current form," the heads of three committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said on Dec. 19.