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.