Pope Benedict XVI began using a wheeled platform today to navigate the long aisle of St Peter’s Basilica, adopting the device employed by his ailing predecessor to reduce fatigue.

The Pope has met and forgiven the mentally disturbed woman who attacked him during Christmas Eve Mass.

The Pope today appeared to have fully recovered from an attack by a woman at the start of Christmas Eve Mass.

A woman jumped the barriers in St Peter’s Basilica and knocked down Pope Benedict XVI at the start of Christmas Eve Mass.

The Pope today invoking the peace of Christmas in a world made fearful by terrorism and urged joint efforts to avoid war in the Middle East, likening the situation in Iraq to the “ominous smouldering” of conflict.

Pope John Paul II has celebrated Christmas Eve Mass against the backdrop of a possible war against Iraq – a war to which the Vatican is voicing increasing opposition.

The European Union has called on Israel not to prevent Palestinian leader, Yassar Arafat from visiting Bethlehem for Christmas Eve mass.