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Back in 2011, before giving the traditional Christmas blessing to the City of Rome and the world ("urbi et orbi"), Pope Benedict XVI reflected on the Child of Bethlehem as Savior. His Holiness said (in part): "He was sent by God the Father to save us above all from the evil deeply rooted in man and in history: the evil of separation from God, the prideful presumption of being self-sufficient, of trying to compete with God and to take his place, to decide what is good and evil, to be the master of life and death.." The Holy Father said...

Among Catholic doctrines, those pertaining to the papacy tend to be the most misunderstood and contested by non-catholics. The following verses show the biblical basis for Catholic teaching on the primacy of Peter, the office of the papacy being established by Christ and allusions to the doctrine of infallibility. These doctrines reached their full development in the life of the Church only after centuries of contemplation and study, in councils and through the actions of the popes. And we should never forget that since the Church is likened by Christ to a “mustart seed” that grows and develops organically from...

There can be no doubt about it. The Holy Father has been under siege. This was not only foretold by little Jacinta of Fatima, but by Don Bosco, who prophesied that the time would come when the Devil would sow discord among those closest to the Holy Father and what the Holy Father must do: "Now Heaven's voice is addressed to the Shepherd of shepherds. You are now in conference with your advisors. The enemy of the good does not stand idle one moment. He studies and practices all his arts against you. He will sow discord among your consultors;...

The late Pope John Paul II, who has been put on the fast track to sainthood by the Vatican, regularly whipped himself as an act of penance to feel closer to God, and signed a secret document saying that would step down as pontiff if he became incurably ill, according to a new book. Why a Saint? by Monsignor Slawomir Oder, the Vatican "postulator" in charge of the canonisation process, says the Polish-born Pope performed self flagellation as a bishop in Krakow and continued to do so in the Vatican after being elected Pope in 1978. "In his wardrobe, among...

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 4, 2008 (Zenit.org).- When facing death, one is forced to face reality and recognize things for what they are, says Benedict XVI. The Pope said this Monday upon presiding in St. Peter's Basilica at the traditional November Mass for the souls of cardinals and bishops who died over the course of the year. Members of the College of Cardinals concelebrated with the Holy Father. During the homily the Pontiff recalled the names of the 10 cardinals who passed away during the last 12 months: Stephen Fumio Hamao, Alfons Maria Stickler, Aloísio Lorscheider, Peter Poreku Dery, Adolfo Antonio...

Pope's cat writes purrfect book BY STEPHANIE GASKELL DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Sunday, April 20th 2008, 4:00 AM There's one very unusual biography of Pope Benedict - a children's book, supposedly written by his cat."Joseph and Chico: The Life of Pope Benedict XVI as Told by a Cat" is a 36-page illustrated book that chronicles the life of Benedict through the words of his cat, Chico. "I'm meeting you in the pages of this book to tell you a story about my very best friend, a wonderful man with whom I've shared so many happy times," Chico says. "I...

Paris --- The European press on Monday changed tack in the row over Pope Benedict's comments on jihad, switching its critical focus from the pontiff to questioning whether the scale of Muslim outrage was justified. Many European papers lamented that the moderate voices of Islam were being drowned out by hardliners and open debate was being thwarted by political correctness. In London, the conservative Daily Telegraph editorial said that 'now is the time for other churchmen to tell their Muslim counterparts that, in addition to dishing out criticism, they must learn how to take it'. French newspaper Le Figaro said...

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Standing before a sea of umbrellas, Pope Benedict yesterday told Poles to preserve their Catholic heritage."Stand firm in your faith, hand it down to your children, bear witness to the grace which you have experienced so abundantly through the Holy Spirit in the course of your history," he told a rain-drenched mass in Warsaw's Pilsudski Square attended by 270,000 people. It was the same spot where Pope John Paul II first challenged the might of communist rule in 1979. Pope Benedict XVI hailed his Polish-born predecessor, saying through a Polish-speaking aide: "How can we not thank God today for all...

POPE John Paul II died worrying that the world seemed dominated by the powers of evil, according to a sermon he had prepared for the day after his death, his successor Pope Benedict said yesterday. "To humanity, which at times seems lost and dominated by the powers of evil, by selfishness and fear, the risen Lord offers the gift of his love which forgives, reconciles and opens up the spirit to hope," the sermon said. Pope Benedict said: "It was written he should leave us on the eve when he was to have pronounced these words."

POPE Benedict XVI today read what he described as a message of love and hope that Pope John Paul II had intended to deliver the day after he died. "In the divine plan it was written that he should leave us right on the vigil," Benedict said during a visit to the God Our Merciful Father Church on the outskirts of Rome. "The pope had written thus: 'To humanity, which sometimes appears lost and dominated by the power of evil and selfishness and fear, the Lord resurrected offers the gift of his love that forgives, reconciles and opens the soul...

Commentary on Second Part of Psalm 134(135) "Two Different Religious Visions" VATICAN CITY, OCT. 5, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience, which he dedicated to comment on the second part of Psalm 134(135):13-21. * * * 1. Psalm 134, a song of paschal tone, is offered to us by the liturgy of Vespers in two distinct passages. We have just heard the second part (see verses 13-21), sealed by the alleluia, the exclamation of praise to the Lord which opened the psalm. After having commemorated in the first part...

COLOGNE, Germany -- Pope Benedict XVI brought his first foreign trip as pope to a joyful conclusion yesterday, telling more than a million mainly youthful and exuberant followers at an outdoor Mass that they should not pick and choose at their faith. "If it is pushed too far, religion becomes almost a consumer product," he said. "People choose what they like, and some are even able to make a profit from it. "But religion constructed on a 'do-it-yourself' basis cannot ultimately help us. It may be comfortable, but at times of crisis we are left to ourselves." For a chance...

POPE Benedict XVI was no more than a white speck to most of the tens of thousands of young Catholics who lined the banks of the Rhine today, but most went away happy. "I will never forget this day, it was an awesome experience. He seemed so full of joy as he waved to us," said Colleen Ackerman, 25, from Cape Town. For Colleen and most of the crowd, it was their first view of a pope in the flesh and the man greeting them from the upper deck of the river cruiser did not disappoint. "We feel blessed that...

"Let Yourselves Be Surprised by Christ!" COLOGNE, Germany, AUG. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the message Benedict XVI addressed from a ship on the Rhine River this afternoon to young people gathered in Cologne. * * * [In German] Dear Young People, I am delighted to meet you here in Cologne on the banks of the Rhine! You have come from various parts of Germany, Europe and the rest of the world as pilgrims in the footsteps of the Magi. Following their route, you too want to find Jesus. Like them, you have begun this journey in...

First Mass by the new Pope in Sistine Chapel. Procession is going in now. The Pope is using Pope John Paul II's staff.

 HISTORY LABORS--A WORN machine, sick with torsion, ill-meshed--and every repair of an old fault ruptures something new. Or so it seems, much of the time. Our historical choices are limited, constrained by the poverty of what appears possible at any given moment. To be a good leader is, for most figures who walk the world's stage, merely to pick the best among the available options--to push back where one can, to hold on to the good that remains, to resist a little the stream of history as it seems to flow toward its cataract.For the past decade and a half,...

It’s easy, with a man like Pope John Paul II, to make a crucial mistake: to make him superhuman. The achievements in his life seem great and effortless, both at once.Coming into the Church in the middle of a crisis of faith, he said "Open the doors to Christ," and many of us — eventually — did, as his prodding reached down to us, through the Church.He wasn’t the great condemner many wanted him to be. Instead, he searched for the distorted truth at that core of modern errors, and recovered it. He answered Marxism and Madison Avenue with the...

NBC, ANDREA MITCHELL: Carter was told no former presidents were going to pope funeral... Developing...

Deposition, Funeral and Burial Rites of Pope John Paul II Deposition of the Body of the Roman Pontiff in the Coffin Before the Funeral Mass the body will be deposited in a coffin of Cyprus wood. It will the be closed in the presence of the Cardinal Camerlengo, the heads of each Order of Cardinals (Cardinal Bishops, Cardinal Priest, Cardinal Deacons), the Cardinal Archpriest of the Vatican Basilica, the Cardinal Secretary of State, the Cardinal Vicar of Rome, the Substitute of the Secretariat of State, the Prefect of the Pontifical Household, the Almoner of the Supreme Pontiff, the Vice-Camerlengo,...