Hopes of finding the remains of a missing Vatican teenager in the tombs of two 19th-century German princesses have been dashed.

Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka has hailed Theresa May for her "remarkable leadership" in the fight against modern slavery, as she vowed the US would join Britain in a "full-throated call" for international action to end the crime.

A high-ranking Vatican priest working in the Holy See's embassy in Washington has been recalled after US prosecutors asked for him to be charged in an investigation into images of child abuse, officials said.

Unlike most previous Popes, Francis doesn’t buzz off to Castel Gandolfo for a cool holiday during these summer months, when Rome becomes a swelter of stickiness. 

On a sunny, mild day, guests sat outside the monastery on Vatican City grounds where Benedict has lived since he became the first pontiff to resign in 600 years.

Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster, leader of the once staunchly anti-papist Democratic Unionists, has vowed to meet Pope Francis during an expected trip to the region.

Two classmates who backed U2 rock star The Edge at a once-in-a-lifetime gig in the Sistine Chapel say the experience has inspired them to make music part of their lives.

The migrant crisis engulfing Europe poses a big challenge to its values and traditions, but the continent should be able to integrate newcomers without undermining the safety of its citizens, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis has warned against the risk that Islamist militants could slip into Europe under cover of a huge wave of refugees fleeing war in Syria, but also said the crisis could help reawaken the continent’s conscience.

Pope Francis said Mass for more than half a million Ecuadoreans yesterday and hinted he wanted a major Vatican gathering this year to find ways to reach out to Catholics who feel excluded by the Church.

Enda Kenny has defended a controversial cut to a social welfare payment for single parents, the funerals of two victims of the Berkeley tragedy have taken place in Dublin, a single farmer in Co Mayo has won the right to be buried on his own land, and Jurassic World is now the fastest film to ever breach the billion dollar mark at the box office worldwide. Read the latest on this and more in this evening’s irishexaminer.com catch-up.

The independent statehood of the Vatican City allows Pope Francis to be a neutral voice of conscience for all of the peoples across the world, writes TP O’Mahony

Restaurateurs have asked why the industry should lose out out on a €15m Easter bonanza when “even the Vatican City doesn’t obey this ridiculous” ban on alcohol sales.

The Holy See has released a radical feminist activist who bared her breasts in St Peter’s Square on Christmas Day and snatched the statue of Baby Jesus from the Vatican’s outdoor Nativity scene.

Liz O’ Brien ticked off her continental bucket list with a Contiki ‘European Highlights’ tour in London, Paris, Nice, Monaco, the French Riviera, Florence, Pisa, Rome, Rhine Valley, St Goar, Munich, Edam and Amsterdam    

The Irish passport is among the most powerful travel permits in the world, a new study shows.

Restaurants are forced to miss out on approximately €1 million worth of additional sales through not being allowed to serve customers alcohol on Good Friday.

Ireland has one of the highest ages of consent in the EU. And until recently, Vatican City had the lowest, reports Peter O’Dwyer.

Welcome to your Wednesday morning briefing. Let us ensure you're up to speed on what's happening and are prepared for the day ahead.

Two men toting a briefcase stuffed with false bond certificates purportedly worth trillions of euro tried to bluff their way into the exclusive Vatican Bank in a foiled fraud plot.

Two men toting a briefcase stuffed with false bond certificates purportedly worth trillions of euro tried to bluff their way into the exclusive Vatican bank in a foiled fraud plot, Italian police said.

Now the hard work starts.

A man has doused himself with petrol and set it alight in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

Over the past few weeks, Italy has been back at the heart of events.

Pope Francis has overhauled laws that govern the Vatican City, criminalising leaks of information and specifically listing sexual violence, prostitution, and possession of child pornography as crimes against children that can be punished by up to 12 years in prison.

The Pope has set up an inquiry to look into the activities of the troubled Vatican bank amid a new money-laundering investigation and continued questions about the secretive institution.

EVER wonder what showtime must have been like at Rome’s Colosseum? Cast your mind back to Ireland and Italy’s recent rugby showdown at the Stadio Olimpico. The Six Nations is as close as rugby gets to all-out gladiatorial combat: by the time the Irish and Italian teams were done tearing chunks out of each other, bruised and battered bodies were legion.

Pope Francis wants to stay, for the time being, in a simple Vatican residence instead of the spacious and regal papal apartments.

Pope Francis has made an impromptu appearance near the Vatican, prompting cheers of “Francesco” from the crowd.

The Vatican should continue to champion capitalism anchored in morality, writes Jeffrey Donovan.

Pope Benedict XVI gave his pontificate’s final Sunday blessing from his studio window to the cheers of tens of thousands of people packing St Peter’s Square, but sought to reassure the faithful that he wasn’t abandoning the Church by retiring to spend his final years in prayer.

Pope Benedict XVI has given his final Sunday blessing from his studio window to the cheers of tens of thousands of people in St Peter’s Square, Rome.

Pope Benedict XVI blessed the faithful from his window overlooking St Peter’s Square for the first time since announcing his resignation today, cheered by an emotional crowd of tens of thousands of well-wishers from around the world.

It’s “cash only” now for tourists at the Vatican wanting to buy museum tickets, souvenirs, and other services after Italy’s central bank decided to block electronic payments, including credit cards, at the tiny city-state.

It is “cash only” now for tourists at the Vatican wanting to pay for museum tickets, souvenirs and other services after Italy’s central bank decided to block electronic payments, including credit cards, at the tiny city-state.

Pope Benedict XVI has marked the end of a difficult year by saying that goodness prevails despite all the death and injustice in the world.

Pope Benedict XVI has granted his former butler a Christmas pardon for stealing the pontiff’s private papers and leaking them to a journalist, one of the gravest Vatican security breaches in recent times.

A Vatican court has convicted a Holy See computer technician of helping the former papal butler in the theft of confidential documents and given him a two-month suspended sentence.

A Vatican computer expert accused of helping the Pope’s former butler steal secret correspondence did not know the man well and had little motive to risk his 20 years on the job for him, a defence lawyer argued at the start of the second trial in the scandal.

The trial this week of a Vatican computer analyst over his alleged role in an embarrassing scandal of stolen confidential papal documents is offering a chance for an insider glimpse at the Holy See’s security workings.

The Pope’s butler was convicted today of stealing the pontiff’s private documents and leaking them to a journalist, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Pope Benedict XVI’s onetime butler declared he was innocent of a charge of aggravated theft of the pope’s private letters, but acknowledged that he photocopied the papers and said he feels guilty that he betrayed the trust of the pontiff he loved like a father.