The latest scandal to hit the Vatican has unearthed claims of theft, debauchery and betrayal within the Catholic Church.

Pope Benedict XVI bid an emotional farewell in front of his last general audience, saying he understood the gravity of his decision.

Pope Benedict has accepted the resignation of Britain’s most senior Roman Catholic cleric, who has been accused of inappropriate behavior.

Pope Benedict has urged Catholics to use social networks like Twitter and Facebook to win converts, as he launched his own smartphone app.

The pope has pardoned his former butler, who was sentenced to 18 months in jail for leaking secret papal memos, but banished him from the Vatican.

Pope Benedict published the last part of his trilogy on the life of Jesus which reaffirms the the virgin birth as an "unequivocal" truth of faith.

The Pope has called for a series of meetings to "restore trust" in the church after documents exposing corruption in the Catholic Church were leaked.

Pope Benedict arrived in Mexico this weekend promising to "unmask the evil" of drug trafficking in a country ravaged by gang violence.

The Vatican’s view of issues such as abortion, homosexuality and female priests looks increasingly at odds with modern secular realities.

He’s a man of temperate habits with a love of cats and classical music. Yet his image is that of God’s rottweiler. John Hooper profiles the pope.

The scale of criticism is unprecedented in the four years of Benedict’s pontificate.

Two German catholic groups on Friday appealed to fellow members of the faith to back the pope in the row over a Holocaust-denying bishop.

Pope Benedict’s fondness for fur trim on his hats and capes has come under fire from an Italian animal rights group.