Pope Francis sought on Sunday to encourage married couples, acknowledging that the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated some family problems but urging couples to seek help and always remember three key words in a marriage: “Please, thanks and sorry.”

Francis penned a letter to married couples that was released on Sunday, a Catholic feast day commemorating Jesus’s family. It came halfway through a yearlong celebration of the family announced by Francis that is due to conclude in June with a big family rally in Rome.

Speaking at his studio window on Sunday, Francis said he intended the letter to be his “Christmas