The Vatican has had diplomatic contact with Russia regarding comments Pope Francis made about Russian minorities being responsible for the worst acts of cruelty in the country’s war on Ukraine.

Jordan began Christmas celebrations by unveiling a project that could attract 1 million pilgrims annually to the officially recognized site of Jesus’ baptism on the east bank of the Jordan River.

Welcoming new ambassadors to the Vatican from Belize, Bahamas, Thailand, Norway, Mongolia, Niger, Uganda and Sudan Dec. 15, the pope thanked the nations they represent for the many ways they contribute “to the common good not only of their citizens but of our entire human family.”

Pope Francis encouraged youngsters to put down their phones to spend time praying and looking at other people to see their needs.

Catholic Extension’s cover story is about Christmas through the eyes of these children who “come from different cultures and parts of the world, but what they share in common is faith — faith in the midst of terror, violence and war,” the story said.

Caleb Williams, the star quarterback at the University of Southern California who won the Heisman Trophy Dec. 10, earlier made his mark at two Washington-area Catholic schools he attended for middle school and high school.

Celebrating Christmas is important and beautiful, Pope Francis said, but he asked people to spend less on their celebrations this year and donate the savings to help the people of Ukraine.

Vigilance is an essential part of the spiritual life because the devil will try to sneak in when one is not paying attention or, especially, when a Christian thinks he or she is making a lot of progress on the road to holiness, Pope Francis said.

As representatives from nearly 200 countries gather for the U.N. Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, environmental activists living in the Amazon region hope the conference’s proposals will generate new projects in favor of the forest and the populations that live in the region.

Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet announced he is filing a defamation lawsuit in Quebec against a woman who accused him of sexual assault.