Vatican

A three-judge panel of Vatican jurists found Paolo Gabriele, the papal butler, guilty of aggravated theft and sentenced him to 18 months in jail for his role in leaking private papal correspondence and other confidential documents.

The verdict was read Oct. 6 by Giuseppe Dalla Torre, president of the three-judge panel, just two hours after the fourth and final session of the trial. Read more »

Pope Benedict XVI has reminded Catholics that the liturgy belongs to Jesus Christ and his Church, and it should not be changed according to individual whims.

“It is not the individual — priest or layman — or the group that celebrates the liturgy but it is primarily God’s action, through the Church, which has its own history, its rich tradition and creativity,” the Pope said during his Oct. 3 general audience in Rome. Read more »

The Holy See announced today that Pope Benedict XVI will preside at the Solemn Mass for the opening of the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, during which the Holy Father will proclaim two new Doctors of the Church: Saint John of Avila and Saint Hildegard of Bingen.

Joining the ranks of Saint Therese of Avila, Saint Catherine of Sienna, and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, German mystic Saint Hildegard of Bingen, canonized this past May, will be the fourth woman in Church history to be declared Doctor of the Church. Read more »

The trial of Paolo Gabriele and Claudio Sciarpelletti for their alleged part in leaking papal correspondence may lead the Vatican to invoke a never-used cooperation agreement with Italy.

Giovanni Giacobbe, promoter of justice in the Court of Appeal of Vatican City State, told reporters that criminal trials at the Vatican are “extremely” rare, and the only thing remotely similar was a trial for drug possession about 10 years ago. Read more »

The man who handles the Vatican’s relations with other religions, especially Islam, is French cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran.

This great diplomat who was advisor to the Apostolic Nunciature in Beirut during the war and more importantly, Secretary for Relations with States, returned from the Pope’s recent visit to Lebanon enthusiastic about Benedict XVI’s words on relations with Muslims. Read more »

A relic of 16th century Jesuit missionary, St. Francis Xavier, has arrived in Australia ahead of a 3-month tour of the country that is expected to draw tens of thousands of pilgrims.

“St. Francis has always held a special place in the hearts of Catholic Australians,” said Auxiliary Bishop Peter Comensoli as the relic arrived in Sydney Sept. 16. Read more »

“Religious intolerance is increasing: sometimes it is the State that limits and sometimes oppresses the freedom of faithful, other times it is society, perhaps through the connivance of the judicial system or political leaders that literally persecutes communities of faithful, be it Christians or other religious minorities.”

These were the warning bells sent out on Vatican Radio by Mgr. Silvano Silvano Tomasi, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva. Read more »

Saverio Petrillo, director of the Pontifical Villas at Castel Gandolfo, knows that the villas and farm at Pope Benedict's summer residence have been centuries in the making.

Petrillo, who has worked for the Pontifical Villas for 50 years, said that the Pontifical Villas are a complex of three historic properties which have “come together little by little to form the summer residence of the Holy Father.” Read more »

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue has encouraged young Muslims and Christians to be “genuine heralds of justice and peace and builders of a culture which respects the dignity and the rights of every citizen” in a message for ‘Id al-Fitr, the Islamic religious holiday which concludes the month of Ramadan.

In the message, the President of the Council, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran (left), writes that “in the tormented world of ours, educating the young for peace becomes increasingly urgent.” Read more »

It was 1908 when, in the wake of a serious economic crisis, Rome renounced hosting the Olympic Games which were eventually celebrated in London, England.

In the same year Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, sought help from the Vatican to support the Games, and Pope Pius X in person offered him his support. Read more »