Latest Headlines
A list of the most recent stories about Pope Benedict XVI.
Pope invites Down Syndrome teen on car for a spin
Pope Francis has given a 17-year-old boy with Down Syndrome the ride of his life — sort of. Francis invited Alberto di Tullio up onto his open-top Mercedes at the end of his general audience Wednesday, letting him spin around on the pontiff's white chair while tens of thousands of ...
Pope blesses hundreds of Harley-Davidsons
Biker culture came to the Vatican on Sunday as Pope Francis blessed thousands of Harley-Davidsons and their riders celebrating the manufacturer's 110th anniversary with a loud parade and plenty of leather. Thundering Harley engines nearly drowned out the Latin recitation of the "Our Father" prayer that accompanied Francis as he ...
Pope taps trusted prelate to oversee Vatican bank
Pope Francis took a first big step in reforming the troubled Vatican bank on Saturday by tapping a trusted prelate to help oversee its management, in a sign he wants to know more about its activities. Francis signed off on naming Monsignor Battista Ricca as interim prelate of the Institute ...
Pope wades diplomatically into gay marriage debate
Pope Francis waded diplomatically into the gay marriage debate Friday, telling the Archbishop of Canterbury he wants to work together to promote family values "based on marriage." Francis, who vigorously opposed gay marriage in his native Argentina, and Archbishop Justin Welby chatted, prayed and had lunch together at the Vatican ...
Int'l court case against ex-pope fizzles
The International Criminal Court has rejected a longshot request by clergy sex abuse victims to investigate former Pope Benedict XVI and Vatican cardinals for possible crimes against humanity. The tribunal, based in The Hague, told attorneys for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests that "there is not a ...
UN leprosy ambassador upset at pope's remarks
The U.N. goodwill ambassador for eliminating leprosy has written to Pope Francis complaining about his recent comment that careerism among Catholic Church officials was "a leprosy." In a letter to Francis released Thursday, Ambassador Yohei Sasakawa wrote that such remarks can reinforce discrimination against leprosy patients and their families. He ...
Vatican credit stop emblematic of finance woes
The Vatican put a new coin on sale last week to commemorate its historic papal transition. Too bad overseas collectors won't be able to buy it for months. The Associated Press has learned that the Vatican still hasn't fully resolved an embarrassing shutdown in credit card services, despite announcing four ...
Pope confirms 'gay lobby' at work at Vatican
In private remarks to the leadership of a key Latin American church group, Pope Francis lamented that a "gay lobby" was at work at the Vatican. It was an apparent reference to allegations in the Italian media that blackmail was taking place within the Vatican against high-ranking prelates who are ...
AP News in Brief at 5:58 a.m. EDT
Public outrage over government surveillance has led to many lawsuits, no results SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Before there was Edward Snowden and the leak of explosive documents showing widespread government surveillance, there was Mark Klein — a telecommunications technician who alleged that AT&T was allowing U.S. spies to siphon vast ...
Francis gets personal: 'I didn't want to be pope'
Pope Francis revealed Friday that he never wanted to be pope and that he's living in the Vatican hotel for his "psychiatric" health. Francis showed a personal and spontaneous side as he met with thousands of children from Jesuit schools across Italy and Albania. Tossing aside his prepared remarks, Francis ...
Pope appeals for release of hostages in Syria
Pope Francis is appealing to the "humanity" of kidnappers in Syria to release hostages. Francis urged prayers for "beloved Syria" as he spoke from his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square on Sunday to a crowd below. He lamented that the war there has stricken a defenseless people aspiring to ...
Vatican bank chief's priority: clean up reputation
The new head of the Vatican bank says his top priority is to clean up the bank's reputation, saying the institution hasn't served the pope well but provides valuable financial services to the Holy See and its clients that should continue. Ernst von Freyberg was named president of the Institute ...
VATICAN BANK LOOKS TO SHED ITS IMAGE AS AN OFFSHORE HAVEN
c.2013 New York Times News Service VATICAN CITY — From the cheerful ease with which the newly minted president of the Vatican Bank fielded questions on a recent morning, it could be easy to forget how the bank has long been a mystery wrapped in an enigma, tangled up in ...
In shift, Pope Francis walks procession
Pope Francis has again broken with the practice of his predecessors, walking the full length of an annual 1.5 kilometer (mile-long) procession from one Roman basilica to another. The 76-year-old Francis, who walks with a slight limp because of apparent lower back pain, paused several times in prayer during the ...
Pope gets soaked as he braves rain to greet crowds
The rain hasn't stopped Pope Francis. The 76-year-old pontiff, who lost part of a lung during his youth to an infection, got soaked Wednesday as he braved a brief spring shower to kiss babies and greet crowds at his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square. Zooming around the piazza ...
Pope urges Mafiosi to stop exploitation of others
Pope Francis paid tribute to a courageous priest murdered by the Sicilian Mafia as a martyr and urged mobsters on Sunday to abandon their evil ways, particularly the exploitation of people in trafficking rackets such as prostitution. Francis issued his call to organized crime members to convert their hearts, a ...
Vatican releases 1st report of financial watchdog
The Vatican took another step Wednesday to show greater financial transparency by publishing the first annual report from its financial watchdog agency and announcing new regulations to fight money laundering and terror financing. The report from the Financial Intelligence Authority showed the agency received six internal reports on suspicious transactions ...
Pope issues first appeal for Chinese Catholics
Pope Francis has issued his first appeal directed at Catholics in China, long the source of concern for his predecessor Benedict XVI. Francis urged special prayers Wednesday for China's faithful that they may "live their daily lives in service to their country and their fellow citizens in a way consistent ...
Pope expresses solidarity with tornado survivors
Pope Francis has expressed his "closeness to the families of all who died in the Oklahoma tornado," with special concern for "those who lost young children." The pope posted a Twitter message to the survivors Tuesday, and followed up with a telegram to the archbishop of Oklahoma City, Paul S. ...
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