Vatican

GENEVA (AP) — The Vatican released comprehensive statistics for the first time Tuesday on how it has disciplined priests accused of raping and molesting children, saying 848 priests have been defrocked and another 2,572 given lesser sanctions over the past decade. The Vatican’s U.N. ambassador in Geneva, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, revealed the figures during a […]

VATICAN CITY (AP) — President Barack Obama is holding an historic first meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican. Obama arrived on an overcast morning at the Vatican’s ornate grounds. After a slow procession, he was introduced to Pope Francis and the two shook hands. Obama says at the start of the meeting that it’s […]

BERLIN (AP) — The drug haul was unremarkable, but the destination raised eyebrows. German customs officials intercepted a shipment of cocaine destined for the Vatican in January, weekly Bild am Sonntag reported Sunday. Officers at Leipzig airport found 340 grams (12 ounces) of the drug packed into 14 condoms inside a shipment of cushions coming […]

VATICAN CITY (AP) — A Vatican official has been arrested by Italian police for allegedly trying to illegally bring 20 million euros ($26 million) in cash into the country from Switzerland with a private jet. Prosecutor Nello Rossi says Monsignor Nunzio Scarano is accused of corruption and slander stemming from the plot and was being […]

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The moment Cardinal Albino Luciani learned his colleagues had elected him pope, he responded: “May God forgive you for what you’ve done.” The remark, by the man who became Pope John Paul I, was seen as an expression of humility — but also a commentary on the mammoth task ahead. There […]

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The biggest scandal to rock the Vatican in decades widened Monday with the pope's butler, arrested for allegedly having confidential documents in his home, agreeing to cooperate with investigators — raising the specter that higher-ranking ecclesial heads may soon roll. Few believe butler Paolo Gabriele worked alone to leak dozens of […]