The head of Opus Dei, the conservative Catholic organisation depicted in The Da Vinci Code as a murderous, power-hungry sect, says some good might come out of the work, according to an interview published today.

THE name and reputation of Judas Iscariot will never be quite the same again if a group of Vatican scholars gets its way.

THE use of a feeding tube for Pope John Paul II, struggling to recover from throat surgery, illustrates a key point of Catholic policy he himself has proclaimed: It is morally necessary to give patients food and water, no matter their condition.

A STUDY conducted on the case of a statue of the Madonna in Italy reported to have shed tears of blood a decade ago concluded that the event has no human explanation.

A frail but determined Pope John Paul led his general audience today and, brushing aside any suggestions he is cutting back, announced that, “God willing,” he will travel to a shrine in Pompeii next week.