Vatican

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Benedict's Farewell: Sometimes Lord Seemed to Sleep

Crowd tops 150K for his last general audience

(Newser) - It's Benedict XVI's penultimate day of pontificating, and tens of thousands of the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square for an emotional farewell in which the pope recalled the "great burden" God had given him in 2005 and noted that his papacy had weathered difficult moments...

No More Red Shoes for Pope Benedict

...who will henceforth be called 'emeritus pope'

(Newser) - With T-minus two days til his reign as pope ends, the Vatican has answered some of the biggest outstanding questions about Pope Benedict XVI's future once he's retired: He'll be known as "emeritus pope" and continue to wear a white cassock. Benedict himself made the decisions,...

Pope: Vatileaks File Will Stay Under Wraps

Benedict will only let his successor see it

(Newser) - After last week's brouhaha , the Pope has decided to keep the Vatileaks probe between him and his successor, NBC News reports. The Vatican said today that the dossier regarding in-house leaks will stay under wraps, despite allegations in the Italian press that it revealed gay priests being blackmailed. A...

Benedict Gives Final Blessing
 Benedict Gives Final Blessing 
Feb 24, 2013 5:55 AM CST

Benedict Gives Final Blessing

Says God called him to a life of prayer

(Newser) - Pope Benedict has given his final Sunday blessing as pontiff from his window on St. Peter's Square, telling thousands of cheering well-wishers that "in prayer, we will always be close," reports the BBC . The pope, who steps down on Thursday, said in his final Angelus address that...

Anti-Gay Cardinal: Let Catholic Priests Get Married

Keith O'Brien: It's 'difficult to cope with celibacy'

(Newser) - With a new pope on the way, Britain's most influential Catholic says the Vatican should let priests marry and have families, the Guardian reports. Spurning Catholic orthodoxy, Cardinal Keith O'Brien said that "many priests have found it very difficult to cope with celibacy," which "is...

Vatican Slams 'False' Reports Before Pope's Departure

... after Italian paper floats notion of scandal with gay Vatican priests

(Newser) - Pope Benedict's final stretch at the Vatican isn't exactly a quiet one. A spokesman lashed out today against "unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories" that he says have been circulating in recent days. The Rev. Federico Lombardi didn't get into specifics, but he is no...

Italian Paper: Benedict Quit Amid Crazy Scandal

Report says gay priests were blackmailed

(Newser) - Here's a conspiracy theory on Pope Benedict's sudden resignation that wasn't in the first rush of speculation —what if Benedict's decision was linked to a network of gay priests in the Vatican who were being blackmailed by outsiders? That's the premise of a report...

Benedict's Health So Bad Docs Told Him Not to Fly

Report outlines high blood pressure, sleeping trouble

(Newser) - A fuller picture of the laundry list of Pope Benedict's physical ailments continues to emerge. In addition to reported partial blindness , the pontiff has suffered from high blood pressure to the extent that his doctor warned him to spend "as little time as possible" flying, according to the...

Benedict: Pray for Me, Next Pope

It's his second-to-last Angelus blessing until he steps down

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI is blessing the faithful from his window overlooking St. Peter's Square for the first time since announcing his resignation, cheered by an emotional crowd of tens of thousands of well-wishers from around the world. Speaking in Spanish, Reuters notes that Benedict implored the crowd, "I...

Next Pope Should Be a Nun
 Next Pope Should Be a Nun 
OPINION
Feb 16, 2013 11:40 AM CST

Next Pope Should Be a Nun

EJ Dionne thinks the Catholic Church should go big

(Newser) - EJ Dionne thinks the Catholic Church should make a "brave and bold" choice when it picks a new pope: It should pick a nun. Will it happen? Not a chance, he writes at the Washington Post , but putting a woman in charge "would vastly strengthen Catholicism, help the...

Vatican: Pope Hit His Head in Mexico

Also, he has a pacemaker

(Newser) - Did Pope Benedict resign in a dazed concussion haze? Probably not, but the Vatican revealed today that his holiness whacked his noggin pretty good during his March 2012 Mexico trip , the AP reports. The admission followed an Italian newspaper report saying that while getting up in the middle of the...

Benedict: I'll Be 'Hidden From the World'

Church unsure what to do with the Vatican's new famous lodger

(Newser) - What do you do with an ex-pope? If you happen to know, call Rome, because the Church isn't sure yet. Many fear Benedict will become an implicit rival to the new pope, despite his apparent desire to keep a low profile. He told Roman diocese priests yesterday that he...

Benedict Won't Be Infallible Anymore

Vatican says his divine authority on all church matters goes to next pope

(Newser) - When Pope Benedict steps down as pope later this month, he loses some serious bragging rights: No longer will he be infallible, reports AFP via Raw Story . “These powers go with the office, so they will pass to the next pope," says a Vatican spokesman. "Whoever renounces...

Pope: I'm Leaving for 'Good of the Church'

Offers first public comments since retirement announced

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI has publicly addressed his retirement for the first time, saying it's for "the good of the Church," NBC News reports. Speaking during his weekly general audience, he asked that listeners "continue to pray for me, for the Church, and for the future pope,...

Benedict&#39;s Legacy? A List of Unachieved Goals
Benedict's Legacy?
A List of Unachieved Goals
OPINION Roundup
Feb 11, 2013 1:54 PM CST

Benedict's Legacy? A List of Unachieved Goals

But others say his comments on contraception may endure

(Newser) - As the world comes to terms with the sudden and incredibly unusual resignation of the papacy by Pope Benedict XVI, the general consensus appears to be that Joseph Ratzinger was a scholarly, introverted conservative who will ultimately be remembered most for the controversies that surrounded him. Among the opinions:
  • Despite
...

'Hitler's Pope' Secretly Aided the Jews: New Book

Pope Pius XII 'oversaw a clandestine operation'

(Newser) - A new book is aiming to give "Hitler's Pope" a better place in history, the Guardian reports. Due out next month, The Pope's Jews paints Pius XII as a man who quietly aided Jews during World War II with safe houses and fake documents. According to the...

Vatican's Anti-Gay Stance Yields Topless Protest

4 gay-rights activists cause a stir during Pope's weekly address

(Newser) - The Vatican is doubling down on its anti-gay marriage stance, which today had the unlikely result of a group of women ripping their shirts off as Pope Benedict gave his Sunday address, reports Reuters . Four members of the Ukrainian Femen group screamed "homophobes, shut up!" and shed their...

Priest in Italy Blames Violence Against Women on ... Women

Christmas message provokes outrage

(Newser) - Domestic violence is on the rise in Italy, with 120 women killed this year—up a third over last year, reports the Daily Beast . The UN Human Rights Council and women's advocates have been pushing leaders to get a handle on the problem, but a Catholic priest's Christmas...

Pope: In Daily Hustle, Find Time for God

Pontiff will give Christmas Eve Mass shortly

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI marked Christmas Eve with Mass in St. Peter's Basilica and a pressing question: Will people find room in their hectic, technology-driven lives for children, the poor and God? The pontiff also prayed that Israelis and Palestinians live in peace and freedom, and asked the faithful to...

Earthly Riches Abound at Vatican's Duty-Free Store

Opulent, little-known department store sits behind St. Peter's Basilica

(Newser) - Money might not buy you a ticket to heaven, but at the Vatican's duty-free store, $3,840 can buy a 65-inch Samsung TV for that devout Christian on your list who has everything. The AP takes a look at the little-known three-story commercial haven that sits mere steps away...

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