Pope Benedict Xvi
latest news & developments
Pope meets his predecessor for first time in history
Pope Francis has flown in to a papal residence near Rome for an unprecedented encounter with "pope emeritus" Benedict XVI.
Men in white: Pope Francis to meet predecessor
Pope Francis is preparing for a historic meeting with his predecessor Benedict XVI on Saturday.
White smoke signals new pope elected by cardinals
Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina has been elected pope to lead the Roman Catholic Church, and has taken the name Pope Francis I.
Black smoke, no pope
The mystery of who the new pope would be has been as thick as the unmistakable heavy black smoke billowing from the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel chimney.
Survey shows Africans ready for African pope
A new survey, conducted by CNN and mobile phone crowdsourcing company Jana, has indicated Africans think a pope from Africa would be a good idea.
‘Diverse opinions’ steer the election for the next pope
Roman Catholic cardinals prayed for divine help, hours before a conclave to elect a new pope to tackle the daunting problems facing the church.
Scandal mars Pope Benedict’s final Sunday address
Fresh scandal has hit the cardinals who are due to choose Pope Benedict XVI’s successor as he spoke from his window for the last time.
Pope bemoans ‘evil and corruption’ in final address
Pope Benedict has lamented the "evil, suffering and corruption" that has defaced God’s creation in an address to the heads of the Vatican bureaucracy.
‘Nearly blind’ pope advised to limit air travel
Pope Benedict XVI is nearly blind in one eye and was advised to limit air travel because of his high blood pressure, says the Vatican Insider website.
As Africa rises, Europe loses grip on Catholic power base
Catholicism’s European power base is under threat and the election of a new pope could be a historic moment for the church.
First tweeting pope remains silent over resignation
It could have been the tweet of the century. But Pope Benedict decided not to announce his resignation on Twitter.
Cardinals scramble to fill pope’s mitre
Sex abuse, secularisation, the Curia – the new pontiff has his work cut out, writes John Hooper.
Ghanaian cardinal: Catholic church ready for non-European pope
Peter Turkson has responded to speculation that he could be chosen to succeed Benedict XVI, saying he’ll take on the role ‘if it’s the will of God’.
Pope Benedict XVI announces resignation
Pope Benedict XVI has announced that he will resign, the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years.
Vatican convicts computer expert in Vatileaks case
A Vatican court has convicted a computer programmer of helping the Pope’s butler leak confidential papers in a scandal that embarrassed the Vatican.