The St. Peter’s Square Christmas tree is reflected in a puddle of slush after a five-minute hail storm hit the Vatican. The storm briefly whitened Rome’s streets, bringing cheer to locals, who rarely see snow. CNS photo/Paul Haring ...read more

A girl sits near Christmas decorations in a basement used as a bomb shelter in Donetsk, Ukraine. CNS photo/Igor Tkachenko, Reuters ...read more

Recently, as we prepare for Christmas, I read a reflection that said that we are living times of mercy. It said that we are living the promise that God made to Abraham – this was God’s proposal to our human condition: To give us his mercy. And as a response to God’s promise, Mary said ...read more

Navy Reserve Petty Officer Jesus Benitez talks with his son, Maddox, after surprising him and his sister, Mia, at St. Joan of Arc School in Aberdeen, Md., Dec. 18, 2014. His children did not know he was able to come home for the holidays. Benitez is in the middle of a yearlong deployment in Djibouti, ...read more

Nigerian Christians pray in the grotto of the Church of Nativity on Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, West Bank. CNS photo/Debbie Hill ...read more

Ukrainian Catholic Bishop Paul P. Chomnycky of Stamford, Conn., anoints a woman with holy oil after celebrating a Divine Liturgy marking the feast of the Nativity at St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church in New York. The parish follows the tradition of the church in Ukraine and celebrates Christmas according to the Julian calendar. CNS photo/Gregory ...read more

New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan blesses an inmate as he celebrates Christmas Eve Mass at Rikers Island correctional facility in New York Dec. 24, 2013. CNS photo/Lucas Jackson, Reuters ...read more

Families displaced by violence take shelter at the Don Bosco Catholic youth center in Bangui, Central African Republic, Christmas Day, 2013. CNS photo/Andrea Campeanu, Reuters ...read more

Pope Francis inaugurated the Jubilee of Mercy on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Read the full text of his homily below: Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Inauguration of the Jubilee of Mercy December 8,  2015  Dear Brothers and Sisters, In a few moments I will have the joy ...read more

Devotees take part in a pre-dawn Mass, locally called “Misa de Gallo,” before Christmas at a church in Manila, Philippines, Dec. 16. The pre-dawn Mass is one of the most popular traditions among Filipinos during the Christmas season. CNS photo/Erik De Castro, Reuters ...read more