Marriage between a man and woman is “sorely needed” in today’s society and it could soon be “too late” to save that union, the leader of the Roman Catholic church in England and Wales has said.

Roman Catholic leaders have called on the faithful to pray for the cardinals gathered in Rome on the eve of the conclave to elect a new pope.

Cardinals filed into the Vatican for preliminary meetings to sketch a profile for the next pope and ponder who among them might be best to lead a church beset by crises.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales has described the Government’s plans for gay marriage as undemocratic and a “shambles”.

Jimmy Savile’s closest relatives today broke their silence to say their “own despair and sadness does not compare to that felt by the victims” who were abused by the late TV presenter.

Priests have welcomed the apostolic visitation’s acknowledgement that further work needs to be completed by the Catholic Church here to ensure that clerics on leave following abuse allegations are all being treated the same across the dioceses.

Pope Benedict’s historic arrival in Britain today was overshadowed by comments comparing the nation with a “third world country”.

The Pope’s visit to Britain this week will allow the country to gain “fresh energy and inspiration” from its “rich Christian inheritance”, a leading Catholic said today.

THE cost of policing the Pope’s visit to Britain could reach £1.5 million (€1.8m), police chiefs said.

Pope Benedict XVI could meet with people who were abused by Roman Catholic priests when he visits Britain later this month, it was suggested today.

The former head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales is one of five senior clerics appointed today to monitor child protection procedures in the church in Ireland.

CATHOLIC bishops in England and Wales yesterday offered a full apology and said there were “no excuses” for the child abuse scandals that have rocked the Church.

Catholic bishops in England and Wales today offered a full apology and said there were "no excuses" for the child abuse scandals that have rocked the church.

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Easter Vigil as the Vatican newspaper attacked what it called a “vile defamation operation” against him over the clerical abuse scandal.

Protesters gathered outside the main Catholic church in the UK today to call for the Pope’s resignation over clerical sex abuse.

There is no statistical connection between the abuse of minors and a celibate way of life, the leader of Catholics in England and Wales said tonight.

A US Roman Catholic deacon spoke yesterday of how the agonising pain he had suffered from a spinal disorder disappeared after praying to the revered English Cardinal John Henry Newman.

Pope Benedict XVI is to come to the UK next year in the first official visit by a pontiff, it was reported today.

IT is pathetic to listen to the incessant empty apologies of various religious groups who were charged with the care of vulnerable children in our society. The chronicle of abuse is almost beyond belief. But it did happen, and it happened in our community.

VICTIMS of child abuse in Ireland’s State and church-run institutions have hit out at the new leader of Catholics in England and Wales for praising the courage of clergy who came clean.

IN September 2001, the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, caused dismay in ecclesiastical circles when he said Christianity in Britain had been all but vanquished.

A great-grandmother who was falsely imprisoned for nine years for an IRA bombing has been awarded a papal medal.

It is now the duty of 120 cardinals to decide who will head the millions of Catholics around the globe.

MILLIONS of faithful around the world were praying for Pope John Paul II, as the 84-year-old head of the Catholic Church appeared to be approaching his final hours.

The “martyrdom” of murdered aid worker Margaret Hassan was honoured in a memorial service to her today.

The bells of Notre Dame rang out today on the 60th anniversary of General Charles de Gaulle’s emotional march from the Arc de Triomphe to the cathedral in the city’s heart, closing a week of ceremonies to mark Paris’s liberation from the Nazis.

THE Archbishop of Westminster yesterday faced renewed controversy over his handling of child sex abuse scandals within the Catholic Church, following a claim that he misled the public over the way he dealt with allegations against a priest.

The leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales today defended himself against allegations concerning 10 cases of alleged abuse by priests in his former diocese.

The leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor was today due to answer detailed questions about allegations of child abuse by priests in his former diocese.