Pope Francis made an Easter Sunday peace plea, saying conflicts have lasted too long in Syria, and between Israelis and Palestinians.

Pope Francis is celebrating his first Easter Sunday Mass as pontiff in St Peter’s Square, which is packed by joyous pilgrims, tourists and citizens of Rome.

In his first Mass as pope, Francis showed how different he would be as a pastor, giving an off-the-cuff homily about the need to walk with God, build up his Church, and confess — at one point referring to children building sandcastles on the beach.

Pope Francis put his humility on display during his first day as pontiff today, stopping by his hotel to pick up his luggage and pay the bill himself.

In the absence of a pope, a seagull stole the show at the papal conclave.

Black smoke has risen above the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, confirming there has been no agreement as yet (ie no two thirds majority) on the next Pope.

Benedict XVI has left the Vatican for the last time as pope, flying by helicopter to the Vatican’s vacation retreat hours before becoming the first pontiff to resign in 600 years.

The pope is to be known as “emeritus pope” after he retires and will continue to wear a white cassock, the Vatican has announced.

The Pope took his opposition to gay marriage to new heights, denouncing what he described as people manipulating their God-given gender to suit their sexual choices.

The Vatican’s best kept secrets have been divulged in a spate of leaks, the latest culminating in the trial of his butler Paolo Gabriele. Peter Popham examines the background to the personalities and controversies

The pope began his eighth year today after spending the waning days of his seventh driving home his view of the Catholic Church, with a divisive crackdown on dissenters and an equally divisive opening to a fringe group of traditionalists.

“AN adult faith does not follow the waves of fashion and the latest novelties,” Joseph Ratzinger told his fellow cardinals, just hours before they elected him pope.

The pope today denounced the lethal terrorist attack on a Baghdad Catholic church and called for renewed international efforts to broker peace in the region.

Surrounded by 15,000 white-robed priests the pope begged forgiveness from clerical abuse victims today and promised to “do everything possible” to protect the world’s children.

The Pope begged forgiveness from clerical abuse victims today and promised to “do everything possible” to ensure priests never molest children ever again.

Hundreds of thousands of people turned out for an outdoor mass celebrated by the pope today at the Portuguese shrine of Fatima.

POPE Benedict XVI told priests yesterday to safeguard children in their charge from evil and win the “absolute” trust of their flock, even as his own papacy is clouded by accusations he and other top churchmen failed to protect minors adequately from paedophile clergy.

The pope greeted the faithful in St Peter’s Basilica amid new security measures today following the Christmas Eve scare.

Pope Benedict XVI turned the spotlight on the plight of children who are abused, forced to live on the streets or serve as soldiers, at his Christmas Midnight Mass.

Pope Benedict XVI began a week-long Bible-reading marathon on Italian television – appropriately with “In the beginning”.

Heavy fighting broke out between pro and anti-government supporters in Lebanon’s central mountains overlooking the capital today sending echoes of gunfire and explosions rolling across Beirut, security officials said.

The Pope praised the “human and supernatural” qualities of John Paul II during a mass marking the third anniversary of the Polish pontiff’s death today.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has paid tribute to Archbishop Sean Brady just hours ahead of his appointment to the College of Cardinals in Rome today.

Pope Benedict XVI will take part in a religious procession in central Rome today – a day after a German man tried to jump on the open Popemobile in a security scare in St. Peter’s Square.

Lebanon plunged into fear and gloom today as mourners came to the mountain town of Bikfaya to pay thier last respects to a Christian politician, whose assassination threatened to push the country’s political crisis over the brink.

Pope Benedict XVI today said he was increasingly worried about the violence in Iraq and the Holy Land and appealed for a “peaceful coexistence” between people there.

Pope Benedict XVI said on the first anniversary of his election as Pontiff today that he could not do the job alone, and asked for continued prayers to be the “gentle and firm” pastor of the Catholic Church.

Pope Benedict XVI ushered in Easter services with a dramatic, candlelit vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica during which he said Christ’s resurrection was ”the most crucial leap” in the history of mankind.

Fifteen prelates from around the world joined the elite College of Cardinals in the Vatican today, becoming the newest advisers to the Pope who one day will be called on to elect his successor.

An Italian parliamentary commission has concluded that the Soviet Union was behind the 1981 attempt to kill Pope John Paul II, a theory long alleged, but never proved.

Pope Benedict XVI said today he hoped the Turin Winter Olympics would bring out a spirit of fairness and fraternity and help contribute to peace in the world.

A Turkish military hospital today said the Turkish man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 was not fit for obligatory military service, his lawyer said.

The Turkish gunman who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 left prison a free man today after serving 25 years behind bars in Italy and Turkey for the plot against the Pontiff and the killing of a Turkish journalist.

THE Turk who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 will be released from prison on Thursday, but he then may be tried in a military court for allegedly dodging the draft and escaping military custody, an official said yesterday.

Pope Benedict XVI today said he would pray by the tombs of past Popes in the grottoes beneath St. Peter’s Basilica on All Souls’ Day, and would give a special thought to the “beloved” Pope John Paul II.

The head of the conservative Roman Catholic movement Opus Dei suggested today the Catholic Church should consider not giving out Communion during huge Masses because it cannot be done “in a dignified way".

Italian police have arrested an American Roman Catholic priest wanted on child molestation charges in Arizona, the cleric’s lawyer said today.

Pope Benedict XVI today asked Polish pilgrims to pray so their fellow Pole, the late Pope John Paul II, may one day be a saint.

THE so-called “devil’s advocate” in John Paul II’s beatification process, who must investigate any doubts about his saintliness, yesterday pledged to remain objective, but hinted he supported the cause.

Pope Benedict XVI met with the Italian president today in the first formal audience for a head of state since he was elected pontiff.

Pope Benedict XVI today made the first appearance of his papacy at the window of his apartment, telling tens of thousands of faithful and curious he was keeping up the cherished tradition of his beloved predecessor, John Paul II, who had last appeared to crowds in St. Peter’s Square in silent suffering.

Pope Benedict XVI held the first general audience of his new pontificate today, pledging to work for reconciliation and peace.

Security forces took up posts around the Vatican today and cleared streets for an expected 500,000 pilgrims arriving for the ceremony formally to install Pope Benedict XVI and offer the pontiff a major chance to set the tone for his papacy.

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his first public Mass as the 265th leader of the Roman Catholic Church today after one of the shortest conclaves in a century, which sent an unmistakable signal that the church – buffeted by 21st-century problems – is intent on sticking to tradition.