Vatican City
latest news & developments
Pope Francis: The end of a radical papacy born in the south
Francis refused the version of Catholicism that ingratiates itself with the powerful while abandoning the poor
‘Spying’ on the pope: Vatican leaks reveal dirty dealings
The latest scandal to hit the Vatican has unearthed claims of theft, debauchery and betrayal within the Catholic Church.
Pope scrambling to ‘restore trust’ in the church following Vatican leaks
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 XVI in TV talk show debut
The Pope took part in a chat show on Friday, addressing Côte d’Ivoire and Iraqi Christians, but avoiding scandals that have rocked Catholicism.
Pope 2.0: Vatican launches Facebook application
Web surfers can now send virtual postcards of Pope Benedict XVI to their Facebook friends or follow the pontiff’s travel on their iPhones.
Prominent Vatican diplomat dies after long illness
Cardinal Pio Laghi, a long-time Vatican diplomat who forged enduring ties with key White House officials, particularly the Bush family, died recently.
Vatican lists ‘new sins’, including pollution
Thou shall not pollute the Earth. Thou shall beware genetic manipulation. Modern times bring with them modern sins. So the Vatican has told the faithful that they should be aware…
Vatican calls for mass apology for sex scandals
The Vatican has called on Catholics to atone for the sex abuse scandals that have engulfed their church in recent years by taking part in what may be the largest global prayer…
Make space for God, Pope says in Christmas sermon
Pope Benedict led the world’s 1.1 billion Roman Catholics into Christmas with a midnight mass on Tuesday, urging people to find time and space for God, the needy and the…
Vatican paper criticises Golden Compass
The Vatican newspaper <i>L’Osservatore Romano</i> has criticised the children’s film <i>The Golden Compass</i> starring Nicole Kidman, calling it "anti-Christmas". Co-starring…
Pope: Progress won’t save humanity
Humanity will not be saved by progress, science or political revolution, but only in the collective hope offered by Christianity, Pope Benedict XVI said on Friday in a…
Pope asked to take action against radio host
The World Jewish Congress on Monday urged Pope Benedict XVI to crack down on a Polish priest accused of broadcasting anti-Semitic views on his radio station. ”Anti-Semitic…
Pope was opposed to ‘wrong prophet’ Bob Dylan
Pope Benedict was opposed to Bob Dylan appearing at a youth event with the late pope John Paul in 1997 because he considered the pop star the wrong kind of ”prophet”, Benedict…
Vatican decries latest death in ‘irresponsible’ Dakar rally
The Vatican decried the death of South African motorcyclist Elmer Symons in the Dakar Rally, the latest of scores of deaths associated with what it called a ”bloody,…
Africa tops list of pope’s concerns
The conflicts raging in Africa were at the top of Pope Benedict XVI’s concerns as he held his traditional New Year’s meeting on Monday with ambassadors to the Holy See. ”We must…