German prosecutors examined late pope in abuse probe
March 21, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — German prosecutors looking into historical cases of sexual abuse by clergy in the Munich archdiocese said Tuesday that they initially investigated the late Pope Benedict XVI on suspicion of being an accessory to abuse, but later dropped the probe.
Pope Benedict XVI’s aide acknowledges criticism over memoir
March 19, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — The longtime secretary to Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged Sunday that his tell-all memoir, published in the days after Benedict’s death, had been criticized for casting Pope Francis in an unfavorable light, but insisted that some of the polemics were more about anti-Benedict prejudice than anything else.
Vatican touts new memoir by Benedict XVI’s 2nd secretary
February 9, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Retired Pope Benedict XVI’s second secretary came out with a new memoir Thursday, a light, photo-filled daily journal that sharply contrasts with the bombshell tell-all book published last month by the late German pope’s main assistant.
Cardinal says book by Benedict XVI’s secretary ‘unseemly’
January 19, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — The archbishop of Vienna, a longtime friend and former student of Pope Benedict XVI, has confirmed that it was he who wrote a letter to his former teacher urging him to accept election as pontiff in 2005 if the votes went his way.
Faithful mourn Benedict XVI at funeral presided over by pope
January 5, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis joined tens of thousands of faithful in bidding farewell to Benedict XVI at a rare requiem Mass Thursday for a dead pope presided over by a living one, ending an unprecedented decade for the Catholic Church that was triggered by the German theologian’s decision to retire.
AP PHOTOS: Mosaic of mourners bids farewell to Benedict XVI
January 5, 2023 GMTOne pope laid to rest another Thursday in an extraordinary ceremony at the Vatican as the Catholic faithful bade farewell to Benedict XVI, who resigned the papacy a decade ago.
Live Updates | The funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
January 5, 2023 GMTThe latest on the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI:
VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI’s coffin has been put in its resting place in the grottoes beneath St. Peter’s Basilica.
The wooden lid on the outermost coffin is decorated with a simple metal cross, the emblem of his nearly eight-year-long papacy and an inscription in Latin noting that he had lived 95 years, eight months and 15 days when he died on Dec.
At Benedict’s summer home, a town mourns its beloved visitor
January 4, 2023 GMTCASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (AP) — The shopkeeper named her daughter after him. The parish priest wears his old vestments. The former mayor dedicated a plaque to him on City Hall, and residents up and down this picturesque hilltop town reminisce about hearing him play the piano behind the palace walls on cool summer evenings.
An account of Benedict’s papacy to be sealed in his coffin
January 3, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — A written account of the history-making papacy of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will be placed alongside his body in his coffin for burial, the Vatican said Tuesday in revealing plans for the first funeral of a pontiff to resign in six centuries.
Recalling Benedict’s grace but also the storms of his papacy
January 3, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Flying back to Rome from Beirut in September 2012, I was escorted down the aisle to the first-class section of the papal plane and seated beside Pope Benedict XVI.
65,000 view Benedict XVI’s body lying in state at Vatican
January 3, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI 's body, his head resting on a pair of crimson pillows, lay in state in St. Peter's Basilica on Monday as tens of thousands queued to pay tribute to the pontiff who shocked the world by retiring a decade ago.
Benedict aide’s tell-all book will expose ‘dark maneuvers’
January 2, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s longtime personal secretary has written a tell-all book that his publisher on Monday promised would tell the truth about the “blatant calumnies,” “dark maneuvers,” mysteries and scandals that sullied the reputation of a pontiff best known for his historic resignation.
‘Lord, I love you’: Aide recounts Benedict’s last words
January 1, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s last words were “Lord, I love you,” his longtime secretary said Sunday, quoting a nurse who helped care for the 95-year-old former pontiff in his final hours.
Benedict death paves way for protocols to guide future popes
January 1, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — There was no tolling of the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica, no solemn announcement by a Vatican monsignor to the faithful in the square. A fisherman’s ring did not get smashed and the diplomatic corps were not mobilized to send official delegations to Rome.
While blamed, Benedict fought sex abuse more than past popes
January 1, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is rightly credited with having been one of the 20th century’s most prolific Catholic theologians, a teacher-pope who preached the faith via volumes of books, sermons and speeches.
Benedict leaves German homeland with complicated legacy
January 1, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI leaves his homeland with a complicated legacy: pride in a German pontiff but a church deeply divided over the need for reforms in the wake of a sexual abuse scandal in which his own actions of decades ago were faulted.
Benedict’s 2013 resignation shook a routine Vatican ceremony
January 1, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Veteran reporter Giovanna Chirri was starting to doze off in the Vatican press room on a slow holiday when all of a sudden the Latin she learned in high school made her perk up — and gave her the scoop of a lifetime.
Highlights from the life of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
December 31, 2022 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the first pope in 600 years to resign, has died. Here are highlights from his life.
April 16, 1927: Born Joseph Alois Ratzinger in Marktl am Inn, Germany, youngest of three children to Joseph and Maria Ratzinger.
Benedict’s lasting mark on papacy will be his resignation
December 31, 2022 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had a long and illustrious career as one of the Roman Catholic Church’s pre-eminent theologians. For all his accomplishments and accolades, however, Benedict will forever be known as the first pope in 600 years to resign.
Pope Francis grateful for ‘noble’ Benedict and his prayers
December 31, 2022 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Hours after the death Saturday of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Pope Francis praised his “noble” predecessor and expressed gratitude for his life of faith and prayers, especially those offered in the nearly 10 years since the shy churchman dramatically became the first pontiff in centuries to retire from the papacy.
Benedict XVI, first pope to resign in 600 years, dies at 95
December 31, 2022 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the shy German theologian who tried to reawaken Christianity in a secularized Europe but will forever be remembered as the first pontiff in 600 years to resign from the job, died Saturday.
Benedict XVI, reluctant pope who chose to retire, dies at 95
December 31, 2022 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — He was the reluctant pope, a shy bookworm who preferred solitary walks in the Alps and Mozart piano concertos to the public glare and majesty of Vatican pageantry. When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI and was thrust into the footsteps of his beloved and charismatic predecessor, he said he felt a guillotine had come down on him.
In US, sharply contrasting views on Benedict XVI’s legacy
December 31, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — In the United States, admirers of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI remembered him warmly for his theological prowess and devotion to traditional doctrine. However, some U.S. Catholics, on learning of his death Saturday, recalled him as an obstacle to progress in combating clergy sex abuse and expanding the role of women in the church.
Benedict’s resignation sparked calls for retirement protocol
December 31, 2022 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — If ever there was a moment that embodied the surreal novelty created by the first papal resignation in 600 years, it came on the morning of March 23, 2013: Newly elected Pope Francis had traveled to the papal summer retreat south of Rome and was greeted on the helipad by the previous pope, Benedict XVI, who had moved there three weeks earlier.
Vatican says health of retired pope Benedict XVI ‘worsening’
December 28, 2022 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI 's health has worsened over the past hours due to advanced age and doctors are constantly monitoring his condition, the Vatican said Wednesday, as Pope Francis appealed to the faithful to pray for his “very ill” predecessor “until the end.”
Retired pope’s ailing health raises questions of what’s next
December 28, 2022 GMTROME (AP) — The Vatican has detailed rituals and procedures to follow when a pope dies, but it has not published such rules for a pope emeritus. As a result, official word Wednesday that the health of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had worsened prompted questions about what happens if and when he dies.
Vatican imposes new investment policy amid financial scandal
July 19, 2022 GMTROME (AP) — The Vatican has centralized and overhauled its investment strategy after a botched deal lost tens of millions of euros, imposing a policy that prohibits investments in products such as pornography and weapons and prioritizes prudent investing in industries that promote the common good.
Pope: I wouldn’t live in Vatican or Argentina if I retire
July 12, 2022 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis said he would not live in the Vatican or return to his native Argentina if and when he ever retires, but would instead like to find a church in Rome where he could continue hearing confessions.
Cardinal Hummes, close friend of Pope Francis, dies at 87
July 4, 2022 GMTSAO PAULO (AP) — Cardinal Claudio Hummes, the Brazilian Catholic cardinal who inspired Pope Francis to pick his name after the 2013 conclave, died on Monday at the age of 87. He was one of the country’s main religious leaders and a strong advocate for the poor.
Pope denies resignation rumors, hopes to visit Kyiv, Moscow
July 4, 2022 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis has dismissed rumors he plans to resign anytime soon, and says that he hopes to visit Moscow and Kyiv after traveling to Canada later this month.
Pope Francis fuels new speculation on future of pontificate
June 5, 2022 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis added fuel to rumors about the future of his pontificate by announcing he would visit the central Italian city of L'Aquila in August for a feast initiated by Pope Celestine V, one of the few pontiffs who resigned before Pope Benedict XVI stepped down in 2013.
Benedict XVI turns 95 as book focuses on anomaly of 2 popes
April 21, 2022 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI turned 95 this past weekend, a significant milestone on its own but even more given he has now been a retired pope longer than he was a reigning one.
Canadian Indigenous leaders to meet pope over school abuse
March 26, 2022 GMTTORONTO (AP) — When an Assembly of First Nations delegation traveled to the Vatican in 2009 to meet with then-Pope Benedict XVI, the pontiff told them in a private meeting of his “personal anguish” over abuse suffered by Indigenous children in church-run boarding schools they were forced to attend in Canada.
Vatican ponders priesthood amid abuse research, revelations
February 16, 2022 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican this week is hosting a three-day symposium on the Catholic priesthood amid renewed public attention on clergy sex abuse scandals and fresh research into the abuses of priestly power that harm both children and adults.
Today in History
February 11, 2022 GMTToday in History
Today is Friday, Feb. 11, the 42nd day of 2022. There are 323 days left in the year.
Benedict woes come as German church reform pressure rises
February 9, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — A report on decades of clergy sexual abuse in Germany that shone an unflattering spotlight on retired Pope Benedict XVI has added to already strong pressure there for the church to reconsider Catholic rules on issues including homosexuality and women’s roles, creating a mounting sense of impatience.
Retired pope asks pardon for abuse, but admits no wrongdoing
February 8, 2022 GMTROME (AP) — Retired Pope Benedict XVI asked forgiveness Tuesday for any “grievous faults" in his handling of clergy sex abuse cases, but denied any personal or specific wrongdoing after an independent report criticized his actions in four cases while he was archbishop of Munich, Germany.
German archbishop backs loosening Catholic celibacy rules
February 3, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — A prominent German archbishop advocated loosening celibacy rules for Catholic priests in comments published Thursday before a meeting of a German reform assembly.
German archbishop pushes reform after criticism over abuse
January 27, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — The archbishop of Munich said Thursday that the Catholic church needs deep reform to overcome the “disaster” of sexual abuse and made clear that he intends to stay in his job, after a report faulted him and predecessors including retired Pope Benedict XVI for their handling of abuse allegations and cases in Germany.
Vatican defends Benedict after report faults abuse record
January 26, 2022 GMTROME (AP) — The Vatican on Wednesday strongly defended Pope Benedict XVI’s record in fighting clergy sexual abuse and cautioned against looking for “easy scapegoats and summary judgments," after an independent report faulted his handling of four cases of abuse when he was archbishop of Munich, Germany.
Former pope was at meeting where pedophile priest discussed
January 24, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Retired Pope Benedict XVI has acknowledged that he did attend a 1980 meeting at which the transfer of a pedophile priest to his then-diocese was discussed, saying an editorial error was responsible for his previous assertion that he wasn't there.
Pope vows justice for abuse victims after Ratzinger faulted
January 21, 2022 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis vowed Friday to provide justice to victims of clergy sexual abuse and German authorities called for further investigation after an independent audit faulted retired Pope Benedict XVI for having botched four cases of abuse when he was archbishop of Munich, Germany.
Report on sexual abuse in German diocese faults retired pope
January 21, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — A long-awaited report on sexual abuse in Germany's Munich diocese on Thursday faulted retired Pope Benedict XVI's handling of four cases when he was archbishop in the 1970s and 1980s. The law firm that drew up the report said Benedict strongly denies any wrongdoing.
Pope doubles down on quashing old Latin Mass with new limits
December 18, 2021 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis doubled down Saturday on his efforts to quash the old Latin Mass, forbidding the celebration of some sacraments according to the ancient rite in his latest salvo against conservatives and traditionalists.
Presidents and popes over the years: Gifts, gaffes, grief
October 29, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden meets with Pope Francis on Friday, he won’t kiss the ring.
Biden, who has met with Francis three times and with two previous popes, has said he eschews the traditional sign of respect because his mother told him not to — that no one is “better” than him.
Presidents and popes over the years: Gifts, gaffes, grief
October 28, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden meets with Pope Francis on Friday, he won’t kiss the ring.
Biden, who has met with Francis three times and with two previous popes, has said he eschews the traditional sign of respect because his mother told him not to — that no one is “better” than him.
Retired pope hopes to soon join friends in ‘the afterlife’
October 20, 2021 GMTROME (AP) — Retired Pope Benedict XVI has said he hopes to soon join a beloved professor friend in “the afterlife,” in a sign that the 94-year-old pontiff is not only accepting his eventual death but welcoming it.
Pope reverses Benedict, reimposes restrictions on Latin Mass
July 16, 2021 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis cracked down Friday on the spread of the old Latin Mass, reversing one of Pope Benedict XVI’s signature decisions in a major challenge to traditionalist Catholics who immediately decried it as an attack on them and the ancient liturgy.
Hans Kueng, dissident Catholic theologian, dies at 93
April 6, 2021 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Hans Kueng, a Roman Catholic theologian who was an early colleague and friend of the future Pope Benedict XVI but later fell foul of the Vatican for challenging church doctrine and became a vocal critic of the pontiff, has died...
Pope Benedict XVI defends resignation to ‘fanatic’ doubters
March 1, 2021 GMTROME (AP) — Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI has marked the eighth anniversary of his historic resignation by insisting in an interview published Monday that he stepped down knowingly and that “there is only one pope” — Francis...
Pope seeks to encourage musicians silenced by coronavirus
February 4, 2021 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Thursday offered encouragement to musicians who have been silenced as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, acknowledging many have lost work and the ability to practice together due to closed concert halls and social distancing norms.
Vatican butler convicted in Benedict XVI leaks case dies
November 24, 2020 GMTROME (AP) — Paolo Gabriele, the Vatican butler who was convicted of stealing and leaking Pope Benedict XVI’s private papers in 2012, has died. He was 54.
Vatican News, the Holy See’s media portal, said Gabriele died Tuesday after a long, undisclosed illness.
Key findings in Vatican report into ex-Cardinal McCarrick
November 10, 2020 GMTBy The Associated Press (AP) — The Vatican has taken the extraordinary step of publishing its two-year investigation into the rise and fall of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked in 2019 after a Vatican investigation determined he sexually abused adults as well as children...
Vatican: Pope Benedict XVI approved bishop accord with China
October 3, 2020 GMTROME (AP) — The Vatican doubled down Saturday on its intent to pursue continued dialogue with China over bishop nominations, defending a deal it did with the Chinese government in 2018 as necessary to the life of the Catholic Church there, over strong U.S.
German bishops set up system for larger sex abuse payments
September 24, 2020 GMTBERLIN (AP) — The Catholic Church in Germany is setting up a new system to compensate survivors of sexual abuse by clergy that will provide for payments of up to about 50,000 euros ($58,400) to each victim...
Report: Retired Pope Benedict XVI ill after visit to Germany
August 3, 2020 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI has fallen ill after his return from a trip to his native Bavaria to visit his brother, who died a month ago, a German newspaper reported Monday...
Retired pope back at Vatican after German visit to brother
June 22, 2020 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI returned to the Vatican on Monday after a four-day visit to his ailing elder brother in their native Germany in what was his first trip out of Italy since he resigned as pope...
Emeritus Pope Benedict in Germany to be with ailing brother
June 18, 2020 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI traveled to his native Germany on Thursday to be by his brother's sickbed and will stay there as long as necessary, the Vatican said...
Vatican cardinal in row over claim that virus hurts religion
May 8, 2020 GMTROME (AP) — A petition signed by some conservative Catholics claiming the coronavirus is an overhyped “pretext" to deprive the faithful of Mass and impose a new world order has run into a hitch...
Vatican seeks to explain absence of aide after book scandal
February 5, 2020 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican sought Wednesday to explain the absence of a key member of Pope Francis' protocol team following his role in a controversial book on priestly celibacy co-written by Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI.