Catholic cardinals begin talks on Monday ahead of a conclave to elect the next pope, following Benedict XVI’s historic resignation, as a British cardinal not in attendance admitted to sexual misconduct with priests.
Pope Benedict XVI will meet cardinals from around the world on Thursday in his final hours as leader of 1.2 billion Catholics before he becomes the first pontiff to resign since the Middle Ages.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti resigned on Friday with his political plans still in doubt, paving the way for early elections next year in a lynchpin eurozone state still mired in recession.
For all the resonance of the trial of Pope Benedict XVI’s butler wrapping up on Saturday, the drama revolves around a tiny group — the “pontifical family” and the tight-knit Vatican community.
The Vatican’s top anti-abuse prosecutor has warned that the Catholic Church in Asia is falling behind in the fight against paedophilia due to cultural differences over what constitutes child abuse.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was set to resign Saturday after 17 years at the top of Italian political life, as lawmakers prepared to give final approval to a package of key economic reforms.
American Amanda Knox’s future hangs in the balance on the eve of a verdict in her appeal against murder and sexual assault convictions for the brutal killing of her British housemate in Italy.
