The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has reassured the people of Bethlehem that neither they, nor the pressures that they live under are forgotten in the West. During a pilgrimage to Bethlehem with other English church leaders, Dr Williams addressed the city's civic representatives, stressing that problems had to be solved by people working together.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has pledged his support for the Christian Communities of the Middle East. Writing in The Times today (Saturday 23rd December 2006), Dr Williams says that factors such as reaction to the war in Iraq, mistrust from surrounding commuities and security measures have combined to put intolerable pressure on Christians in countries across the region including Iraq, Iran, the Holy Land, Egypt and Turkey, to the point where many are migrating away from their homelands.

Each year, I promise myself I'm going to overcome my anxieties about Christmas, but then, like a steam roller, the dread flattens me. First, there are so many pressing Christmas obligations: cards to write, presents to wrap, cookies to bake and house to clean, tra la la!

God's blessings are around us everywhere as we celebrate the birth of the Infant Savior of Bethlehem! At Christmas, God the Father reveals his extraordinary love to us. Jesus is the Love of God who has personally entered into human history. Our experience of the sorrow and suffering of this world makes us long for God's love, and Jesus is that Love who heals all brokenness and sin.

Vatican archeologists have unearthed a sarcophagus believed to contain the remains of Apostle St. Paul that had been buried beneath St Paul basilica in Vatican.

The sarcophagus, which dates back to at least A.D. 390, has been the subject of an extended excavation run by St. Paul basilica.

Thousands of frightened Iraqi Christians are fleeing Iraq, after an escalation in anti-Christian violence.