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Pope Benedict XVI

Vatican hopes UN Palestinian vote brings peace
The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, has met with Pope Benedict XVI to thank him for supporting the recent U.N. resolution recognizing a ...
Activists protest pope's comment on gay marriage
Activists angered by Pope Benedict XVI's recent comment about gay marriage have held a small protest in St. Peter's Square during the pontiff's weekly ...
Pope 'deeply saddened' by senseless attack in US
Pope Benedict XVI told pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter's Square on Sunday that he is praying for the families of the 20 children and six adults who ...
Sympathy over US school shooting stretches globe
As the world joined Americans in mourning the school massacre in Connecticut, many urged U.S. politicians to honor the 28 victims, especially the ...
Christmas comes to Vatican with tree lighting
The Christmas season kicked off Friday at the Vatican with the traditional lighting of the tree in St. Peter's Square — and a reminder from the pope ...
Vatican austerity means donated nativity scene
The Vatican has happily accepted a donated Nativity scene for St. Peter's Square this Christmas after a previous setup costing €550,000 ($717,000) was ...
A look at prolific Twitter accounts
Pope Benedict XVI hit the 1 million Twitter follower mark on Wednesday as he sent his first tweet from his new account. In amassing an army of ...
Pope hits 1M mark as he tweets: 'Dear Friends... '
Pope Benedict XVI hit the 1 million Twitter follower mark on Wednesday as he sent his first tweet from his new account, blessing his online fans and ...
China revokes new Shanghai Catholic bishop's title
In a fresh challenge to Vatican authority, China has revoked the title of a new Catholic bishop in Shanghai who outraged Chinese officials by ...
Pope's sensitive side revealed in children's book
A children's picture book about the goldfish pond at the pope's summer residence reveals a side of him few may know. Every day while Pope Benedict XVI ...
Pope shores up papal household after leaks scandal
Pope Benedict XVI moved Friday to shore up the papal household in the aftermath of the Vatican's leaks scandal, naming his trusted secretary to also ...
Israel's President tweets the pope a welcome
Israeli President Shimon Peres welcomed Pope Benedict XVI, both octogenarians, to social media with a personal tweet on Tuesday. Peres, 89, tweeted ...
Pope joins tweeting masses with Pontifex handle
Benedict XVI, the pope known for his hefty volumes of theology and lengthy encyclicals, is now trying brevity — spreading the faith through his own ...
Pope greets clowns, acrobats: Circus comes to town
Pope Benedict XVI greeted thousands of clowns, acrobats, puppeteers and even a pair of lion cubs on Saturday as the circus came to town for an unusual ...
Vatican sells stamps to restore famed colonnade
Not even the Vatican is immune from the economic crisis. For the first time, the Vatican is seeking funds directly from pilgrims, collectors and ...
Pope tells new cardinals not to be lured by power
Pope Benedict XVI has told his six new cardinals to resist the allure of power and instead be like Jesus and focus their work on spreading the ...
Pope elevates 6 cardinals to choose successor
Pope Benedict XVI responded to criticism that the club of churchmen who will choose his successor is too Eurocentric, elevating six new cardinals from ...
Pope urges dignity, rehabilitation for prisoners
The pope is urging prison administrators to respect the dignity and rights of criminals in their care, and to help rehabilitate them. Pope Benedict ...
Church of England nears vote on female bishops
After decades of debate, the Church of England votes Tuesday on whether it will finally admit women to the ranks of bishops — under a compromise ...
Egypt's new Coptic pope enthroned
The new pope of Egypt's Orthodox Coptic church was enthroned on Sunday in an elaborate ceremony lasting nearly four hours, attended by the nation's ...
AP Interview: Vatican sex crimes prosecutor on sin
When Pope Benedict XVI announced last month he was transferring his respected sex crimes prosecutor to Malta to become a bishop, Vatican watchers ...
Pope resurrects Latin with academy to boost study
The Vatican is trying to resurrect Latin. Pope Benedict XVI issued a decree Saturday creating a new pontifical academy for Latin studies to try to ...
Vatican computer tech convicted in leaks scandal
A Vatican court on Saturday convicted a Holy See computer technician of helping the former papal butler in the embarrassing leak of confidential papal ...
Vatican digs in after gay marriage advances
The Vatican is digging in after gay marriage initiatives scored big wins this week in the U.S. and Europe, vowing to never stop insisting that ...
Pope: organized crime is a grave threat to society
Pope Benedict XVI denounced organized crime as a "gravely destabilizing threat" to society during an audience Friday with members of Interpol, and ...