‘Laura Bush said Pope Benedict XVI expressed concern over violence linked to the prophet drawings in their meeting Thursday, with the pontiff calling for peace and tolerance.
“He talked to me about the worries of terrorism, the worries right now of the violence in Beirut and Damascus and other cities,” Mrs. Bush said after the 20-minute […]
‘Pope Benedict XVI warned in his first encyclical Wednesday that sex without unconditional love risked turning men and women into merchandise.
In the 71-page document “God is Love,” Benedict explored the relationship between the erotic love between man and woman, referred to by the term “eros,” and the Greek word for the unconditional, self-giving love, “agape” […]
“Nowadays, Christianity of the past is often criticized as having been opposed to the body; and it is quite true that tendencies of this sort have always existed. Yet the contemporary way of exalting the body is deceptive. Eros, reduced to pure ’sex,’ has become a commodity, a mere ‘thing’ to be bought and sold, […]
‘Thousands packed Saint Peter’s Basilica for Pope Benedict’s first midnight mass at the Vatican. Outside the church, in the square, many more braved the cold night air and watched the ceremony on giant screens.
Pope Benedict wore gold vestments and blessed the crowd as he walked up the central aisle of the church at the start […]
‘Police stepped up security around the Vatican as Iraqi President Jalal Talabani paid a visit to Pope Benedict XVI, head of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church.
Thursday’s talks focused on church concerns over religious freedom and reconstruction in Iraq, a Vatican official said Thursday.
Police sealed garbage bins and towed away vehicles parked along the Via della […]
‘Latin has fallen into such disuse in the Roman Catholic Church that many of the church fathers no longer understand the language. Now members of the College of Cardinals have asked Pope Benedict XVI to make Latin the “universal language” by using it at international events.’
Read more at Cardinals Ask Pope to Save Latin
‘Pope Benedict XVI offered a rare glimpse into his past Saturday and gave a small lesson in Catholicism to children who attended his first youth rally at St. Peter’s Square — an event that was reminiscent of the gatherings inspired by Pope John Paul II.
Benedict recalled the sunny, “beautiful Sunday” in 1939 that he made […]
‘Pope Benedict XVI met over the weekend with the controversial Swiss theologian Hans Kung, one of the chief critics of the Roman Catholic Church.
The pontiff, a staunch defender of traditional doctrine, hosted the meeting Saturday at his Castelgandolfo summer residence.
The meeting with Kung, a pioneer of theological dialogue with non-Christian faiths who was banned from […]
‘Benedict XVI appealed to the tourist industry to respect persons and to foster dialogue among cultures as he noted the approach of World Day of Tourism.
After praying the midday Angelus on Sunday with crowds gathered at the papal summer residence, the Pope said that tourism is an “extremely relevant social phenomenon in the contemporary world,” […]
‘Pope Benedict XVI called Sunday for special prayers for the victims of Hurricane Rita and the rescue workers trying to help them.
“Our thoughts go especially to those who are affected by the natural disasters in the United States and other parts of the world,” Benedict said during his Sunday blessing from his balcony at the […]
‘The US government has told a Texas court that Pope Benedict should be given immunity in a molestation case.
The lawsuit accuses him of conspiring to cover up the sexual molestation of three boys by a seminarian.
Court documents filed by Assistant Attorney General Peter Keisler say Benedict enjoys immunity as a head of state, the Vatican.
He […]
‘Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged Wednesday that he was absent-minded after forgotting to bless the hundreds of pilgrims who attended his weekly audience at his Castel Gandolfo summer residence.
He said his mind was already in Cologne, where he was to travel Thursday to participate in the 20th World Youth jamboree.
The crowd gathered in the palace courtyard […]
‘Lawyers for Pope Benedict XVI have asked President Bush to declare the pontiff immune from liability in a lawsuit that accuses him of conspiring to cover up the molestation of three boys by a seminarian in Texas, court records show.
The Vatican’s embassy in Washington sent a diplomatic memo to the State Department on May 20 […]
‘Benedict XVI said that he wouldn’t label the recent wave of terrorist attacks that hit London, Turkey and Egypt as acts against Christianity.
Journalists asked the Holy Father today, after a meeting with priests, religious and deacons of the Diocese of Val d’Aosta, where is on vacation, if the attacks could be considered “bombs against Christianity.”
“I […]