A former top Vatican official has accused Pope Francis of having known of allegations of sex abuse by a prominent US cardinal for five years before accepting his resignation last month and he called on the pontiff to resign.

The head of the Vatican's communications department has resigned over a scandal about a letter from the retired pope that he mischaracterised in public and then had digitally manipulated in a photograph sent to the media.

Archbishop Eamon Martin delivered a lecture at the University of East Anglia in Norwich yesterday evening on the theme ‘The Church in the Public Sphere – a perspective from Ireland’. Here is an extended extract from his speech.

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.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI has acknowledged that governing the church wasn’t his strong suit but says he doesn’t see his papacy as a failure and that he succeeded at least in breaking up the Vatican’s so-called "gay lobby."

A prominent US canon lawyer has said he suspects “there is a great deal more” to the story of what is happening in the Maynooth seminary.

Pope Francis has said his predecessor as pontiff is having trouble getting around, but remains sharp of mind and memory, according to an interview published on Sunday.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI has endorsed Pope Francis’s mercy-filled ministry.

Tens of thousands of Catholics queued at the Vatican for the strictest security checks in living memory as Pope Francis began a Holy Year with a call to set aside “fear and dread”.

The publication of two new books has intensified the Vatican leaks scandal and highlight the struggles of Pope Francis as he tries to reform the sprawling bureaucracy, writes Nicole Winfield

Benedict Cumberbatch thinks his sex symbol status is a "reflection and appreciation" of his work.

Pope Francis has left Rome for his first trip to Spanish-speaking South America, a ‘homecoming’ to a continent where he will champion the rights of the poor and of the planet.

Jozef Wesolowski, a former archbishop and papal ambassador to the Dominican Republic, will stand trial on criminal charges of paying for sex with minors and possessing child pornography, the Vatican has said.

Benedict Cumberbatch's wife Sophie Hunter has given birth to a son.

People being investigated in a counter-terrorism investigation in Italy may have been planning an attack against the Vatican, one of the prosecutors leading the probe said.

The Pope has broken from his predecessors in seeking a more collegial approach to Church, governance, but the jury is still out on his ability to bring true reform, writes TP O’Mahony.

EMMA WATSON has admitted she felt daunted by the extreme subject matter in her new film, political thriller Colonia Dignidad, but she couldn’t say no to such a strong female role.

Pope Francis said he believes his pontificate will be short and that he would be ready to resign like his predecessor rather than ruling for life.

The family of Alan Turing handed in a petition in favour of gay men persecuted like him for their sexuality just hours after the codebreaker’s story won an Oscar with The Imitation Game.

Peter Pomerantsev’s book about Russia today reveals complex, vibrant, corrupt society that expects the West to collapse just as the Soviet Union did — and then they will rule the world he tells Richard Fitzpatrick.

"I feel the complete fool I am and while I am sorry to have offended people"

Anti-racism campaigners have criticised Benedict Cumberbatch after he used the word “coloured” on US television.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne are among the presenters at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.

Benedict Cumberbatch's fiancée is pregnant.

Al Pacino has suggested he could appear in an upcoming Marvel film.

Benedict Cumberbatch has no plans to quit Sherlock.

His head bowed and hands clasped in front of him, Pope Francis stood today for two minutes of silent prayer facing east inside one of Istanbul’s most important mosques, as he shifted gears toward more religious affairs on the second leg of his three-day visit to mainly Muslim Turkey.

Your guide to tonight's TV.

Press celebrate news of Benedict's engagement with their own announcement.

Pope Francis has beatified Pope Paul VI and declared that God is not afraid of new things as he concluded a remarkable meeting of bishops on family issues.

Pope Francis has beatified Pope Paul VI and declared that God is not afraid of new things as he concluded a remarkable meeting of bishops debating family issues.

A radio DJ who made a hoax call to a hospital caring for the Duchess of Cambridge broke down in tears as she apologised to the family of a nurse who committed suicide after the hoax was broadcast.

Robert Blair Kaiser

Benedict Cumberbatch has admitted he wasn’t always the leading man when he first started acting – often, he was the leading lady.

Host Seth Meyers noted that the Emmys had moved to Monday night to avoid a conflict with Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards. But he said that MTV doesn’t really specialise in videos any more.

The BBC’s hit series Sherlock scooped a hat-trick of awards at the glitzy Emmy ceremony and looks set to return to our screens next year.

Benedict Cumberbatch will get to flash his fangs when he voices villainous tiger Shere Khan in Andy Serkis’ Jungle Book: Origins movie.

Maybe it’s being truthful or being tactful, maybe it’s constant closeness or lots of space, but whatever the secrets to staying together are, Ireland’s longest-married couples are being invited to add their top tips.

An army of Sherlock Holmes fans have donned their deerstalkers and picked up their pipes in an attempt to break an unusual Guinness World Record to mark TV star Benedict Cumberbatch’s birthday.

WORLD CUP POPES

The stars of 'Sherlock' have made "progress" on shooting the next series.