Europe

St. Peter's Square springs to life with new pope
You don't need to be Catholic to be awe-struck by the majesty of St. Peter's Square, which becomes the stage for the world during times of papal ...
Convicted criminal holds hostages in Greek prison
Authorities in Greece say a convicted prisoner in Greece trying to escape for the third time has taken six hostages— both prison officers and ...
Report: Pope pledged to help kidnapped priest
A German newspaper says it has discovered a decades-old letter in which the future Pope Francis pledged to fight for the release of a fellow priest ...
Pope explains name, urges 'church for the poor'
The focus of Pope Francis' papacy began to emerge Saturday as he offered some intimate insights into the conclave that elected him pontiff, describing ...
Swiss tourist gang-raped in central India
A Swiss woman who was on a cycling trip in central India with her husband has been gang-raped by eight men, police said Saturday. The attack comes ...
Slow changes: A stroll through 4 papacies
In one of his last major public appearances before his death, Pope Paul VI sat on a throne atop a platform carried on the shoulders of 12 men as he ...
Latvians commemorate Waffen SS divisions
Over a thousand Latvians on Saturday commemorated Nazi-allied World War II soldiers while police used force to prevent violence from erupting between ...
Judge orders 6 men to trial in rapes tourists
A Mexican judge has ordered six men detained in the rape of six Spanish tourists in Acapulco to stand trial, saying prosecutors have presented ...
Vatican: anti-clerical campaign against pope
The honeymoon that Pope Francis has enjoyed since his remarkable election hit a bump Friday, with the Vatican lashing out at what it called a ...
Fugitive in wife's slaying arrested in Italy
A man placed on the U.S. Marshals Service 15 Most Wanted Fugitive list for the execution-style murder of his estranged wife has been arrested in ...
US clergy sex victims want change from new pope
Most Roman Catholics are rejoicing at the election of Pope Francis, but alleged victims of clergy sex abuse in the U.S. are demanding swift and bold ...
Pope Francis reaches out to Jews
Like his predecessor, Pope Francis reached out to Rome's Jewish community at the very start of his pontificate, pledging to continue to strengthen the ...
Pope visits ailing Argentine cardinal in hospital
Pope Francis on Friday made a surprise visit to a Rome hospital to cheer up a fellow Argentine, a cardinal who had a heart attack the day the pontiff ...
Doctor convicted for filmed assaults on patients
A doctor in Britain who used a wristwatch camera to film himself sexually abusing patients has confessed to dozens of offenses. Prosecutors say ...
UK priest surprises court with secret marriage
A jury in northern England got a surprise at the trial of a Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl: The cleric has been ...
Merkel learns to say Polish grandfather's surname
Poland's prime minister said it took German Chancellor Angela Merkel just two tries to correctly say the surname of her Polish grandfather: ...
Berlusconi's lawyers seek to move Milan trials
Silvio Berlusconi's lawyers have filed motions to change the jurisdiction of two trials nearing verdicts in Milan. Berlusconi's lawyers claim the ...
Swiss police storm home of fugitive in HIV trial
Swiss police have arrested a self-styled acupuncturist who holed up in his home after refusing to attend a trial at which he is accused of ...
Priest kidnapped by junta: Reconciled with pope
A Jesuit priest whose kidnapping by the Argentine military junta decades ago led to strong criticism of the newly elected pope said Friday that he and ...
3 men plead guilty to terror charges in UK
Three British Muslims, including a convert who was featured in a documentary about radical Islam, pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in London on ...
UK lawmaker arrested after fight at Parliament bar
British media say a lawmaker has been arrested after a fight at a bar inside the Parliament buildings. The Press Association news agency, the BBC and ...
New style of papacy: Pope Francis pays hotel bill
On his first day as shepherd of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, Pope Francis picked up his luggage at a Vatican hotel, personally thanked each ...
France ready to arm Syrian rebels
France and Britain are pushing the European Union to lift its arms embargo on Syria as soon as possible so that they can send weapons to rebel ...
US school gunman interested in other mass murders
The young man who killed 26 people at a Connecticut school last year showed interest in other mass killings, people close to the investigation told ...
Inside the conclave: extra omnes to habemus papam
Three rounds of ballots had been cast with no winner, but it was becoming clear which way this conclave was headed. When the cardinals broke for ...