Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Church in Iraq, decries the sectarianism that is prevalent in his country.

Some last-minute gift ideas: books!

Theater critic Jose Solís surveys several productions of the holiday classic

Pope Francis has given a relic of Jesus' crib to the custody of the Franciscans in the Holy Land, who oversee the churches associated with Jesus' life, death and resurrection.

"When, at Christmas, we place the statue of the Infant Jesus in the manger, the nativity scene suddenly comes alive. God appears as a child, for us to take into our arms," the pope said.

At the risk of wading into one of our nation’s and church’s most contentious questions, America asked our readers when they think is the right time to decorate for Christmas.