Vatican City

VATICAN CITY - As the world's Roman Catholics prepare for the addition of 22 cardinals, the Vatican has become embroiled in an embarrassing scandal in which a number of leaked documents have drawn back the curtains on the church's inner workings. The internal church squabbling became public about three weeks ago with the disclosure on television and in newspapers of confidential letters written by a top Vatican official who had denounced alleged corruption and financial mismanagement in Vatican City.

VATICAN CITY - The Legion of Christ religious order, already discredited for having covered up the crimes of its pedophile founder, suffered another blow to its credibility after its superior admitted Tuesday that he knew in 2005 that his most prominent priest had broken his vows of celibacy and fathered a child, yet did nothing to prevent him from teaching and preaching about morality. The admission by the Rev. Alvaro Corcuera is likely to enrage members of the Legion and its lay branch who have endured years of apologies, hypocrisy, and explanations for the crimes of the order's...

Coroners and medical technicians swarmed the crypt of a Roman basilica on Monday to exhume the body of a reputed mobster as part of an investigation into one of the Vatican's enduring mysteries: the 1983 disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, the teenage daughter of a Vatican employee. The stench of sewage filled the courtyard next to Rome's Sant'Apollinare basilica where Enrico De Pedis was buried. Medical personnel in white pantsuits and masks milled about under a blue tent where his body was believed to have been taken for initial tests.

VATICAN CITY - The Legion of Christ religious order was hit Tuesday by its second scandal in a week after its most well-known priest - a prominent author, lecturer, and television personality - admitted he had fathered a child. The Rev. Thomas Williams, an American moral theologian, said in a statement he was "deeply sorry for this grave transgression" against his vows of celibacy and that he would take a year off to reflect on what he had done and his commitment to the priesthood.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI has fired an outspoken Australian bishop who had called on the church to consider ordaining women and married men. The Vatican said in a statement yesterday that the pope had “removed from pastoral care’’ Bishop William Morris of the Toowoomba diocese, west of Brisbane. That move was strong by the standards of the Vatican, which usually stops short of saying outright that it has ousted a church leader. More often, the Vatican asks wayward church leaders to resign and then announces that the pope has accepted their resignations.

ROME - Forensic police swarmed the crypt of the Sant'Apollinare basilica on Monday to exhume the body of a reputed mobster as part of an investigation into one of the Vatican's most enduring mysteries: the 1983 disappearance of the teenage daughter of one of its employees. Medical technicians took samples from the remains of Enrico De Pedis and also took boxes of old bones from the nearby ossuary, according to a De Pedis family lawyer, as part of the investigation into whether Emanuela Orlandi may have been buried alongside him. Orlandi was 15 when she disappeared in 1983...

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican will unveil the latest installment in its social media transformation next week: a Facebook page dedicated to the upcoming beatification of Pope John Paul II, officials said. The site, which will link to video highlights of John Paul’s 27-year papacy, is designed to promote the May 1 beatification. But it may well continue beyond that given the enduring interest in the late pontiff, Vatican officials said. The Vatican’s first attempt at an event-themed Facebook page — to promote Pope Benedict XVI’s September trip to the United Kingdom — is still active...

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican created a financial watchdog agency and issued new laws to fight money laundering and terrorist financing yesterday in a major effort to shed its image as a tax haven that for years has been mired in secrecy and scandal. The decrees, which go into effect April 1, were passed as the Vatican’s own bank remains implicated in a money-laundering investigation that resulted in $31 million being seized and its top two officials placed under investigation.

VATICAN CITY - The Legion of Christ religious order was hit Tuesday by its second scandal in a week after its most well-known priest - a prominent author, lecturer, and television personality - admitted he had fathered a child. The Rev. Thomas Williams, an American moral theologian, said in a statement he was "deeply sorry for this grave transgression" against his vows of celibacy and that he would take a year off to reflect on what he had done and his commitment to the priesthood.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI is mourning the death of Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, a leader of the church in India who battled for the rights of Christian minorities. The Vatican said the 83-year-old prelate died Friday. He had a heart attack a year ago, Indian reports said. Benedict lauded the cardinal’s dedication and service to the Syro-Malabar church in India. During a period of tension and violence between Hindus and Christians in 2008, Cardinal Vithayathil condemned attacks on Christians and what he called “growing intolerance of certain sectors of...

ROME - Forensic police swarmed the crypt of the Sant'Apollinare basilica on Monday to exhume the body of a reputed mobster as part of an investigation into one of the Vatican's most enduring mysteries: the 1983 disappearance of the teenage daughter of one of its employees. Medical technicians took samples from the remains of Enrico De Pedis and also took boxes of old bones from the nearby ossuary, according to a De Pedis family lawyer, as part of the investigation into whether Emanuela Orlandi may have been buried alongside him. Orlandi was 15 when she disappeared in 1983 after leaving...

Coroners and medical technicians swarmed the crypt of a Roman basilica on Monday to exhume the body of a reputed mobster as part of an investigation into one of the Vatican's enduring mysteries: the 1983 disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, the teenage daughter of a Vatican employee. The stench of sewage filled the courtyard next to Rome's Sant'Apollinare basilica where Enrico De Pedis was buried. Medical personnel in white pantsuits and masks milled about under a blue tent where his body was believed to have been taken for initial tests.

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican is investigating seven priests from the troubled Legion of Christ religious order for alleged sexual abuse of minors and another two for other alleged crimes, The Associated Press has learned. The investigations mark the first known Vatican action against Legion priests for alleged sexual assault following the scandal of the Legion's founder, who was long held up as a model by the Vatican despite credible accusations - later proven - that he raped and molested his seminarians.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI began his eighth year as pope on Tuesday after spending the waning days of his seventh driving home his view of the Catholic Church, with a divisive crackdown on dissenters and an equally divisive opening to a fringe group of traditionalists. The coming year may see more of the same as the Vatican gears up to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 church meetings that reshaped the Catholic Church and are key to understanding this papacy and Benedict's recent moves to quell liberal dissent and promote a more conservative...

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his birthday in Bavarian style Monday, marking his 85 years with his brother, German bishops, and a musical group from his native land. Benedict began the day with a Mass in which he alluded to his own mortality, saying he would carry on through his final years knowing that God was watching over him. "I am facing the final leg of the path of my life, and I don't know what's ahead," Benedict said in his homily. "I know, though, that God's light is there . . . and that his light is stronger than every...

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI implored the Syrian regime on Sunday to heed international demands to end the bloodshed and expressed hope that the joy of Easter will comfort Christian communities suffering because of their faith. Benedict, struggling with hoarseness and looking tired, celebrated Mass on Christianity's most joyous holy day on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica, before a crowd of faithful that swelled to far over 100,000 by the end of the 2-hour ceremony. Only hours earlier the pontiff, who turns 85 on April 16, had led a long nighttime vigil service in the church.

VATICAN CITY - An Italian cardinal who once was in charge of the physical upkeep of St. Peter's Basilica and was a former master of pontifical ceremonies has died at age 89. Vatican Radio said Cardinal Virgilio Noe died Sunday in Rome. Cardinal Noe was a retired prelate in charge of the basilica and formerly ran the office that cares for the Vatican's artistic and monumental treasures in addition to St. Peter's. He was elevated to cardinal's rank in 1991 by the late Pope John Paul II. In 1970, during Paul VI's papacy, he was named master of pontifical ceremonies.

VATICAN CITY -- Struggling to swallow and breathe, Pope John Paul II mumbled his final words weakly in Polish: "Let me go to the house of the Father. " Six hours later, the comatose pontiff died, the Vatican says. The account of John Paul's final hours appears in a detailed official report on his last weeks just released by the Vatican in what might be an effort to ward off any doubts about how forthcoming it has been about his illness and April 2 death. There was much speculation in past decades over how some pontiffs died and what caused their end. While no...

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI began the Catholic Church's Holy Week celebrations with Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square and good news from Cuba. On Saturday, Cuba's communist government agreed to Benedict's request to make Good Friday a holiday, which he made during his visit to the Caribbean island last week. The day, which is celebrated this Friday, marks the solemn commemoration of Christ's death. In the Holy Land, hundreds of Christian pilgrims also marked Palm Sunday, with Masses and processions retracing Jesus's triumphant return to Jerusalem.

VATICAN CITY - The Catholic Church in Ireland has made "excellent" progress in addressing a sexual abuse scandal and reporting new abuse cases directly to the Vatican, but would-be priests need better screening and training, according to a summary of a nearly yearlong investigation issued by the Vatican on Tuesday. The summary also noted that there was evidence of dissent from church teaching among priests and lay people, calling it a serious situation it said should not be tolerated.