MARK PICKUP

Christmas is my favourite time of the year. I love everything about it including the smallest details and traditions commonly associated with the season.

Throughout the last half of November my wife resisted my requests to put up the Christmas tree. She reminded me that it takes up too much space in the living room for my electric wheelchair to manoeuvre easily. She was right. The Christmas tree stayed in the basement until Dec. 1.

Pope Benedict urged international leaders to reach a credible agreement on climate change, keeping in mind the needs of the poor and of future generations.

Austerity measures introduced by the British government to tackle spiraling levels of public debt are hurting the poorest the most, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster told politicians.

Germany's Catholic dioceses have ordered the immediate sale of a Church-owned publishing house after reports that it made millions of euros selling erotic and pornographic titles.

In a speech to U.S. bishops, Pope Benedict defended the Church's "honest efforts" to confront the priestly sex abuse scandal with transparency, and said its actions could help the rest of society respond to the problem.

More than 2,000 years after his birth, Christ the King was honoured in a historic way with a massive electronic "holy shoutout" via texts, emails and tweets sent simultaneously from cellphones Nov. 19 by 23,000 participants at the National Catholic Youth Conference and National Catholic Collegiate Conference in Indianapolis.

The Vatican is planning to sing its way into the Christmas season this year, with a chorus and orchestra leading Christmas carols at the annual unveiling of its Nativity scene.

Pope Benedict said the global economic crisis demands the "courage of brotherhood" between the world's rich and poor, and calls on the Church to look at the causes of poverty.

Fear has silenced the voice of Pakistani Christians since the political murder of Shahbaz Bhatti last spring, said the retired archbishop of Lahore, Pakistan.

Pope Benedict said his second trip to Africa left him convinced that the joy and faith of the continent's people – especially the young – represent a hope for all humanity.