Pope Benedict XVI and the Roman Catholic Church. news, opinions, stories and discussion about how Pope Benedict is leading the Roman Catholic Church and the political and social implications of his style, direction, and policies. How...
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Pope Benedict XVI and the Roman Catholic Church. news, opinions, stories and discussion about how Pope Benedict is leading the Roman Catholic Church and the political and social implications of his style, direction, and policies. How will Pope Benedict direct the church in world politics?
VATICAN CITY, Dec. 25 (UPI) --
The woman who dragged down the pope and caused a cardinal to break a leg during Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter's Basilica was in police custody Friday.
The Vatican said she is the same woman who tried to attack Pope Benedict XVI during the same function a year ago.
The woman, described by a Vatican spokesman as jumped a barrier at the start of the mass and grabbed onto the pope's vestments as he walked down the main aisle of the Rome church, video... Read Full Story
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The late Pope John Paul moved closer to sainthood in the Catholic Church on Saturday when his successor, Pope Benedict, approved a decree recognizing that John Paul had lived the Christian faith heroically. The Vatican said Benedict had signed the "heroic virtues" decree, a key step in the procedure by which the Church recognizes its saints, after a recommendation by a Vatican panel of experts. The late pope will now have the title "venerable." The following step... Read Full Story
VATICAN CITY (AFP) -- A woman pushing against a barrier caused Pope Benedict XVI to fall on Thursday as he entered St Peter's Basilica to celebrate Christmas mass, the Vatican spokesman said. The woman was "apparently unbalanced," Father Federico Lombardi told AFP. The 82-year-old pontiff quickly recovered and went on to conduct the mass without assistance, but French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray fell ill in the crush and was given first aid, Lombardi said. In gold and white vestments and mitre... Read Full Story
Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday accepted the resignation of an Irish bishop, Donal Murray, over Ireland's child sex abuse scandal, the Vatican announced. Murray, the bishop of Limerick, was named in a report last month that concluded that top prelates concealed clerical abuse and failed to inform police of offences over a period of more than three decades. Other senior church officials, including four archbishops cited in the report, face growing pressure to resign. One priest admitted to... Read Full Story
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Sara Nelson
Last updated at 9:19 AM on 24th December 2009
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Duties: Pope Benedict XVI plants a kiss on a young bag piper at the Vatican
Midnight Mass will be brought forward to 10pm tonight to ensure the Pope has enough energy to deliver his Christmas message the following day. Pope Benedict XVI needs ‘time to rest’ before his duties on Christmas Day, Vatican officials said. It is the first time the traditional ceremony has begun... Read Full Story
VATICAN CITY, Dec. 24 (UPI) --
An apparently mentally ill woman knocked Pope Benedict XVI off his feet as the Christmas Eve mass began at the Vatican, officials said.
Ciro Benedettini, a Vatican spokesman, said Benedict, 82, was able to continue his walk to the altar in St. Peter's Basilica after being helped to his feet and to begin the service, Sky News reported. Vatican security detained the woman, whom Benedettini described as apparently mentally unstable.
Cardinal Roger Etchegaray... Read Full Story
Pope Benedict XVI said Thursday there are growing signs of religious freedom in Cuba and that there is an opportunity for reconciliation between the communist nation and the United States. Welcoming Havana's new ambassador to the Vatican, Benedict also expressed sympathy for Cuba's suffering during the global downturn as well as "the devastating effects of natural disasters and the economic embargo." President Barack Obama has loosened some travel and financial restrictions, and the two... Read Full Story
Pope Benedict XVI will break with tradition this year and celebrate Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at 10 p.m. instead of midnight, the Vatican said Monday. Papal spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi told The Associated Press the decision to change the schedule was made two months ago to "ease the (pope's) fatigue at a time when there are many ceremonies and commitments" during Christmas holidays. "There's no cause for worry about the health" of the 82-year-old Benedict, Lombardi... Read Full Story
Pope Benedict XVI says he is "deeply disturbed and distressed" by a child sex-abuse scandal in Ireland and will write a letter to Catholics there on the church's response. Benedict met Friday with senior Irish clergy in the wake of a report detailing the abuse. The report was issued last month after a government-ordered investigation into the Dublin Archdiocese. It found that the church shielded more than 100 child-abusing priests from the law. The Vatican said after the 90-minute talks that... Read Full Story
by Gina Doggett VATICAN CITY (AFP) -- Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday moved controversial wartime pontiff Pius XII closer to sainthood by declaring him "venerable", bestowing the same honour on beloved predecessor John Paul II. The beatification process of Pius XII has been a source of tension with Jewish groups due to the view among many historians that he remained passive while Nazi Germany killed millions of Jews. The decree was unexpected on a day when Benedict also paved the way for the... Read Full Story
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