Vatican City

Vatican fresco may show first European depictions of Native Americans

2013-05-03 09:29:00

ROME -- The first European renditions of Native Americans, made shortly after Christopher Columbus returned from his first trip to the Americas, may have been discovered under layers of grime on a neglected fresco at the Vatican. The tiny figures of...

Former Pope Benedict XVI moves back into Vatican

2013-05-02 08:56:00

ROME -- The Vatican became the home of two living popes Thursday when former pontiff Benedict XVI took up residence in a house in the city-state’s garden. The unprecedented cohabitation with his successor, Pope Francis, began when Benedict arrived...

Outrage over Bangladesh collapse spills into May Day rallies

2013-05-01 14:02:00

Reeling from the deadly collapse of a building packed with thousands of factory workers, Bangladeshi laborers rallied Wednesday, marking May Day with renewed calls for workplace safety. The death toll steadily swelled in the aftermath of the disaster...

After rebuke by archbishop, Cardinal Mahony takes higher profile

2013-05-09 17:55:00

When Archbishop Jose Gomez stripped his predecessor, Cardinal Roger Mahony, of public duties for mishandling clergy sex abuse cases, a church spokesman said the retired prelate's life would remain largely the same with one exception: confirmations. No...

Giulio Andreotti dies at 94; seven-time Italian prime minister

2013-05-07 00:00:00

Giulio Andreotti, the seven-time Italian prime minister who dominated Italian politics after World War II, but was tainted by accusations of Mafia ties, died in Rome on Monday after suffering from respiratory problems. He was 94. A lawmaker who lived...

Former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti dies

2013-05-06 06:40:00

ROME -- Giulio Andreotti, the seven-time Italian prime minister who oversaw his country's economic boom but was tainted by accusations of ties to the Mafia, died in Rome on Monday, the Italian news agency Ansa reported. He was 94. After becoming a...

Aloysius Jin Luxian dies at 96; Shanghai bishop

2013-04-30 00:00:00

Shanghai Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian, who revived the Catholic Church in China's financial hub after years of Maoist persecution, died Saturday, the Communist Party's official Catholic Patriotic Assn. said in a statement on its website. He was 96. Jin'...

Pope says no bonuses this time for Vatican employees

2013-04-18 13:03:00

The Roman Catholic Church is tightening its belt. Vatican employees will not get bonuses that are traditionally handed out upon the election of a new pope, a spokesman told reporters Thursday. The last time a pope was replaced, Vatican employees were...

Pope Francis reaffirms crackdown on U.S. nuns

2013-04-15 15:16:00

ROME — Pope Francis has backed the Vatican's doctrinal crackdown on a major group of American nuns, reasserting the Roman Catholic Church's conservative approach to various social issues in a move that could cool the warm reception he has received...

Pope Francis appoints panel to study overhaul of the Vatican

2013-04-13 07:46:00

ROME -- Pope Francis launched a long-awaited cleanup of the Vatican by announcing a task force Saturday made up of eight high-ranking cardinals, including one American, who will determine how best to reform the much-criticized Curia, or Vatican...

Vatican denies reports of divisions among cardinals in conclave

2013-03-13 08:32:00

VATICAN CITY -- As Rome and the world await the next puffs of smoke from the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican on Wednesday sought to downplay reports of divisions among the 115 Roman Catholic cardinals gathered to elect a new pope. Speculation that...

The papal conclave in Vatican City: Selecting a new pope

2013-03-12 12:35:00

The 115 Roman Catholic cardinals charged with selecting a new pope to lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics cast their first votes Tuesday and continued their secret deliberations, signaling with black smoke from the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City that...

A gust of wind blows Pope Francis' mantle as he leads his Wednesday general audience at San Peter's square at the Vatican, May 15, 2013. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi (VATICAN - Tags: RELIGION) ORG XMIT: ASB504

2013-05-15 00:00:00

A painting by artist Lawrence Carroll, who has roots in Southern California, for the Vatican's pavilion at the prestigious Venice Biennale.

2013-05-14 07:06:32

A 15th-century fresco that has gathered dust at the Vatican may contain the first European renditions of Native Americans, two years after Columbus' voyage to the New World.

2013-05-03 08:53:17