Signs of hope in Iraq, the Holy Land and Lebanon need to be confirmed by fair and wise actions on the ground, Pope Benedict XVI said today during a Christmas Day message delivered from the loggia of St Peter’s Basilica.

Pope Benedict XVI opened a three-week meeting of the world’s bishops with a Mass today in St Peter’s Basilica, inaugurating his first major Vatican event since being elected.

Planning Pope John Paul II’s funeral and arranging the destruction of his papal ring are among the imposing tasks awaiting the red-capped members of the College of Cardinals as they prepare to hold their first meeting since the pontiff’s death.

POPE John Paul is recovering without complications and has started therapy to improve his breathing and speaking, the Vatican said yesterday.

POPE John Paul II said he hoped the return of a precious icon to the Russian Orthodox Church would hasten “mutual understanding and reconciliation” between the Roman Catholic Church and its eastern counterpart.