Topic: Rome (Italy)

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Benedict resigns papacy: 'I am simply a pilgrim'

Benedict is keeping his papal name and white robes, along with the title 'Emeritus Pope,' but he has pledged his loyalty to his successor.
Direct US aid to Syria's rebels: Why now – and is it too late?

The US decision to give direct aid to Syria's rebels (but still no weapons) is too little, too late – unlikely either to speed President Assad’s departure or to boost US influence over the conflict, say many experts.
Global News Blog Benedict XVI pledges support to successor on his last day as pope (+video)

Some 118 cardinals will commence a closed door gathering to select the next pope in the coming weeks.
Terrorism & Security US will send nonlethal aid directly to Syrian rebels (+video)

Secretary of State John Kerry said that some groups the US doesn't support are gaining more influence with the rebels in the absence of greater Western help.
The Monitor's View In Syria, US mission creep with moral creep

President Obama is leaning toward providing nonlethal military equipment to certain rebels in Syria. Doing so runs moral risks. But doing nothing to stop the violence is also a moral risk. Can the US walk this fine line?
Are the US and Russia bridging their divide over Syria?

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry came out of their Berlin meeting sounding optimistic, in contrast to recent discord in the US-Russia relationship.
Were those the bones of Cleopatra's murdered sister?

Experts doubt that the 2,000-year-old bones, unearthed in 1904 in what is now Turkey, belonged to Arsinoe IV, Cleopatra's younger half-sister whom she ordered killed.
Italian political deadlock casts new uncertainty on eurozone recovery

Markets tumbled and the value of the euro dropped in response to Italy's election results and their unexpectedly loud rejection of German-imposed austerity policies.
Syrian government offers to meet with opposition

Against a backdrop of steady military gains for the opposition forces, Bashar Assad's government proposed a meeting. Critics call it a tactic to keep western arms out of opposition hands.
John Kerry hints at more aid for Syria rebels. Does that mean arming them? (+video)

The answer could come Thursday, when Secretary of State John Kerry and other Western officials are to gather in Rome for a meeting with at least some of Syria’s divided opposition groups.
With Pope Benedict's retirement, the where is clearer than the how (+video)

Workers are renovating a former nunnery in the Vatican to house the retired pope. How he will interact with his future successor remains uncertain.
Pope Benedict departs from script slightly in penultimate appearance

Benedict gave his pontificate's final Sunday blessing today. He has one more public appearance, a general audience later this week in St. Peter's Square.
The man who would be Italy's next prime minister: Pier Luigi Bersani

Despite letting Silvio Berlusconi edge to within a few points in the polls, Mr. Bersani's Democratic Party still looks to be the favorite to win Italy's elections next Sunday and Monday. But who is he?
Pope makes one of his final appearances, Rome braces for change (+video)

On Sunday, upward of 100,000 people attended a blessing by Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Square, one of the pope's final public appearances. Rome and Vatican City are bracing for large crowds of pilgrims and tourists expected for the election of the new pope.
Pope Benedict XVI: A 'simple and humble worker' (+video)

Amidst a tearful crowd, Pope Benedict XVI led his final public mass on Wednesday at St. Peter's Basilica. He thanked those in the audience for their prayers. Breaking with tradition, he will retire this month to a life of prayer in a converted monastery. He will not play a role in the selection of his successor.
Global News Blog Pope Benedict XVI and the road not taken (+video)

At one point, the young Joseph Ratzinger looked like a budding church reformer. By the time he abdicated as pope this week, he had become one of the stoutest defenders of Catholic tradition.
Chapter & Verse Pope resigning: Historian Jon M. Sweeney shares the story behind the last pope who quit

With the news that Pope Benedict XVI is resigning, historian Sweeney discusses why popes rarely leave office and the bond between Benedict and Celestine V, the last pope to resign.
Global News Blog Pope Benedict's legacy: More influential than Pope John Paul II?

Pope Benedict's legacy may be a willingness to let liberal Catholics leave in favor of a more orthodox church in the US and Europe.
Pope Benedict XVI retires: Will the next pope come from the 'global south?'

Latin America is home to 40 percent of the world’s 1 billion Roman Catholics, but there has never been a non-European pope in the modern era.
New mission for Knights of Malta: rescue Europe's poor

The chivalric order of the Knights of Malta, which has an annual budget of $800 million, announced the switch of emphasis from Asia and Africa to Europe this week.
Culture Cafe Kevin Bacon on subway: He isn't the only famous face to take public transportation (+video)

Kevin Bacon says he goes on the subway every day. Bacon said that when he is on the subway, he plays games like Angry Birds and backgammon.
Cardinal Roger Mahony defends his legacy on church child abuse

Retired Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahony defended his tattered legacy one day after Archbishop Jose Gomez stripped Mahony of his administrative duties and released thousands of pages of confidential files on sexually abusive priests.
Decoder Wire Why Chuck Hagel is likely to squeak through as Defense secretary (+video)

Chuck Hagel probably has enough Senate votes to be confirmed as Defense secretary, despite a poor showing at his confirmation hearing. But if the GOP opts to filibuster his nomination, conventional wisdom gets upended.
Missile caused 1980 plane crash: Italian court

Missile caused 1980 plane crash: Quoting from the Rome ruling on Monday, the Italian news agency LaPresse said the court upheld a Palermo appeals ruling that Italian radar systems didn't adequately protect the skies and Italy must compensate the victims' families.
Twenty hostages escape from Islamic militants in Algeria, reports

Twenty foreign hostages – including some Americans and Europeans – have escaped from Islamic militants holding them at an Algerian natural gas facility, says an Algerian source. The militants said they had captured 41 foreigners, including seven Americans, yesterday.