Pope Benedict XVI news stories on Newser

Nuns Rock, and Vatican Is Nuts to Mess With Them

Mark Russell — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 09:14:05 CDT

Catholic nuns represent much of the best the church has to offer—they're tough, smart, and humble. Which is why Nicholas Kristof has a clear warning for Pope Benedict: "You are crazy to mess with nuns," whom Kristof lauds as "the first feminists" and whom he has seen "defy warlords,...

Ahead of 85th Birthday, Benedict Asks Strength

Polly Davis Doig — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 08:11:38 CDT

Staring down both his 85th birthday and the seventh anniversary of his papacy, Pope Benedict today asked the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square for both prayers and strength, reports the AP . "Next Thursday, on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of my election to the See of Peter, I...

Pope Warns of Technology Without God

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 17:26:23 CDT

Pope Benedict XVI, carrying a tall, lit candle, ushered in Christianity's most joyous celebration with an Easter vigil service tonight, but voiced fears that mankind is groping in darkness, unable to distinguish good from evil. "Life is stronger than death," he said. "Good is stronger than evil. Love is stronger...

Pope Slams 'Radical' Austrian Priests

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 03:00:00 CDT

Pope Benedict has ripped into a dissident group of Austrian priests for questioning some church teachings and advocating for married and female priests. He accused the group—known as the Pfarrer Initiative—of "a desperate push to do something to change the church in accordance with one's own preferences and...

In Nod to Pope, Cuba Gets a Holiday

Mark Russell — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 07:09:54 CDT

It looks like Pope Benedict's visit to Cuba brought about at least one good thing for the Cuban people—a new holiday. On April 6, Cuba will celebrate its first Good Friday since the communist takeover in 1959, reports CNN . It's not the first time a pope has brought a...

Fidel Castro Meets Pope

John Johnson — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:50:19 CDT

Pope Benedict delivered a relatively blunt message during his homily in Havana today—"Cuba and the world needs change"—but that didn't prevent a subsequent half-hour meeting with Fidel Castro, reports NBC News . It's not Castro's first with a pontiff: He met John Paul II in 1998, a trip during...

Pope Quietly Lands in Cuba

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:50:12 CDT

Pope Benedict XVI followed in the footsteps of his predecessor's groundbreaking trip to Cuba today, hoping to renew the faith in Latin America's least Catholic country. Cuban President Raul Castro came to the airport in the eastern city of Santiago to welcome Benedict, just days after the pope declared the...

Benedict to Mexico: Return to Your Faith

Polly Davis Doig — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 13:16:03 CDT

Under the shadow of the Christ the King monument in the Roman Catholic heart of Mexico, Pope Benedict XVI said Mass before hundreds of thousands today, urging the violence-plagued nation to "look deeply into the human heart, especially in times of trouble." The Mass was a second call for Mexicans...

Pope Arrives in Mexico, Decries Drug Violence

Mark Russell — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 05:20:53 CDT

Pope Benedict XVI wasted no time in Mexico, the world's second-most populous Catholic country, immediately attacking the violent drug war and gang violence that has killed 50,000 people there, reports the Guardian . Benedict arrived yesterday in Leon, in central Mexico, where tens of thousands of people, 20 deep in...