Australia's leading Catholic has called 2017 an "annus horribilis" partly due to the gay marriage and euthanasia debates which have challenged the Christian conceptions of life and love.
In a Christmas message released on Friday, Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher said the year's end united people in their need for hope, particularly after a challenging year for his church.
"For people of faith you might say it's been an annus horribilis," he said in a statement on Friday.
"As our Christian conceptions of life and love have been challenged in the marriage and euthanasia debates; freedom of religion in Australia put in doubt and shameful crimes and cover-ups in our Church uncovered by the royal commission.
"But the Christmas story insists there is a star in the dark sky, light amidst the fears and failures. Christmas speaks of new hope."
He said young people were not naive to the shameful chapters in the church's past but want to help it move forward.
In his Christmas message Dr Philip Freier, the Anglican Primate of Australia and Archbishop of Melbourne, said there was "widespread mistrust and dissatisfaction" in Australia and more suffering than there should be.
"Yet, in the worst times and worst of situations, salvation is at hand through God's precious gift of his son, Jesus Christ," he said.
Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies, for the first time, took to Twitter to send out his Christmas wish - condensing his spiritual message to fit the social media platform's 280 character limit.
"In short - a baby born in a shed saves the world #canyoubelieveit," the tweet reads.
The archbishop remarked Twitter had become the preferred communication method for at least one world leader - a thinly veiled reference to US President Donald Trump.
"With a limit of 280 characters - it is difficult to say much, let alone explain anything complex," he said in a statement earlier this week.
"Who knows what might happen if the leader of another country takes something the wrong way?"
He urged people to read the full version of his Christmas story in the Bible's book of Luke.
Moderator of the Uniting Church in NSW and the ACT Simon Hansford recounted how embracing his new-born daughter changed him as a person, and urged his followed to similarly embrace the baby Jesus.
"When we engage with the child we are changed," he said in a statement.
"One of the highlights of Christmas is that the birth of the baby Jesus is God in all his vulnerability."
"He is here in our hands for holding. I wish you a blessed and peaceful Christmas."
