Vatican

Pope Benedict XVI used his address to the new ambassador from the Netherlands to outline how the Catholic Church views its role in diplomatic relations.

“In acting as a voice for the voiceless and defending the rights of the defenseless, including the poor, the sick, the unborn, the elderly, and the members of minority groups who suffer unjust discrimination,” said Pope Benedict, “the Church seeks always to promote natural justice as it is her right and duty to do.” Read more »

For the first time, a Christmas tree from Ukraine will be installed in the Vatican. It will be delivered as a gift to Pope Benedict XVI from Transcarpathia, and trees for the Apostolic Palace will be delivered from the Lviv region.

Not only Ukrainian Catholic bishops of Latin and Byzantine rites but also representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will attend the unveiling of the Vatican Christmas Tree. Read more »

The Catholic Church's position on capital punishment has evolved considerably over the centuries.

And as a result, "it is not a message that is immediately understood -- that there is no room for supporting the death penalty in today's world," said a Vatican's expert on capital punishment and arms control. Read more »

Pope Benedict said on Saturday the Catholic Church could not accept gay marriage and urged young people to root out evil in society and shun a "lukewarm" faith that damages their Church.

The 84-year-old pope ended the third day in his homeland with a rally for more about 30,000 young people at a fairground outside the southern city of Freiburg, a Catholic area where he received the warmest welcome of his trip so far. Read more »

Pope Benedict XVI has made the dangers of secularism a major theme of his pontificate.

And it’s a battle both sides take seriously.

On the one hand, the pope warns that societies without the moorings of Christian values will be lost at sea, unaware of or indifferent to the truth that anchors humanity to justice, peace, respect and solidarity. Read more »

Victims of paedophile priests have filed an appeal in The Hague against the Pope's "guilty of crimes against humanity".

A group of associations of victims of paedophile priests (SNAP) and the Centre for Constitutional Rights have filed an appeal to the International Criminal Court that accuses Benedict XVI and three cardinals of covering up crimes committed by clergy against children. Read more »

Agenzia Fides reports that the Association of Indonesian Muslim Students (Himpunan Mahasiswa Islam, HMI) has invited Pope Benedict XVI to Indonesia to an International Conference on Dialogue and Peace to be held in Bali October 2012.

President of the HMI, Noer Fajrieansyah led a delegation to the Vatican to extend the invitation to Pope Benedict. The delegation was met by Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Read more »

The President of the German Conference of Bishops, Robert Zollitsch (left) is convinced that in the near future, the Catholic Church will reform its position toward believers who divorce and remarry. “It’s a question of mercy - shortly we will be discussing it intensely,” said Zollitsch in an interview with the German weekly Die Zeit.

“I don’t think that the goal of celibacy is the solution for the worldwide Church, but I think that we will take steps forward on the question of divorced and remarried persons – and I think we will do it while I am still alive,” continued the seventy-three year old Archbishop of Freiburg. Read more »

Why did the Vatican become the Vatican? What was this place originally? What used to be there?

Vatican, in ancient times, was the name of a hill in Rome, which was situated on the right bank of the River Tevere.

It was an unsound and damp place with stretches of wild, uncultivated fields. Agrippina the Elder had created gardens there and Emperor Nero had built a small private circus. Read more »

Letter from Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran, President Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue to Muslims on the occasion of the end of Ramadan (Id al-Fitr)

1.   The end of the month of Ramadan offers the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue a welcome occasion for sending you our most cordial wishes, hoping that the efforts you have so generously made during this month will bring all the desired spiritual fruits. Read more »