Several thousand faithful packed a square in central Vienna today as Pope Benedict XVI wrapped up a three-day visit to Austria with a Mass and a stop at a medieval abbey outside the capital.

Church leaders, politicians and believers across the country began celebrations of Russian Orthodox Christmas on the eve of the holiday Friday, with President Vladimir Putin sending greetings to the faithful.

A crowd of 20,000-30,000 turned out in a chilly drizzle today for Pope John Paul’s first Mass in Ukraine

Detectives have returned a religious relic which is believed to be part of the body of Christ's apostle Andrew to the Russian Orthodox Church.