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

Pope Benedict XVI marks two milestones this week, and while his health appears stable, signs of frailty have again prompted speculation over whether he will be the first pontiff in seven centuries to resign.

WAITING hours for a brief goodbye, pilgrims young and old prayed, sang hymns and shaded themselves from the sun with umbrellas as they queued yesterday to see Pope John Paul’s crimson-robed body at St Peter’s Basilica.