Cardinal Bernard Law has died in Rome aged 86. The Iraqi government must enable the “return of Christians to their homes and properties”, Patriarch Louis Sako has said in a Christmas message. The National Catholic Reporter says the Vatican is sending “a tone-deaf and disappointing message” by allowing the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors to lapse. Inés San Martin asks how the Pope’s reforms fared in 2017. Victor Gaetan reports on the struggles of the Taiwanese Church. Fr James Martin SJ explains why translating the Bible is so hard. And Michael Brendan Dougherty argues that "the greatest Christmas song of all time" is “nearly liturgical in its construction”. Follow me on Twitter @lukecoppen for updates throughout the day.