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• Baton Rouge welcomes new pope Play Video

  March 13, 2013 10:22 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Cheers and smiles greeted the announcement of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina, the new leader of the Catholics. The first pope from the Americas and the first pope to use the name Francis. Principal of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School Brian Moscona says the... more »

• The Next Pope: Bergoglio announced as Pope Francis

  March 13, 2013 2:04 PM

  VATICAN CITY - Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina has been named as the new pope, and taken the name Pope Francis. He is the first Latin American pontiff, and the first Jesuit to be named pope. "You know that the work of the conclave is to give... more »

• The Next Pope: Vatican says consensus takes time

  March 13, 2013 10:18 AM

  VATICAN CITY - The sight of thick black smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel is bringing sighs of disappointment from the thousands of people who've gathered there in the rainy, chilly weather, waiting for news that a new pope has been elected. Click here to watch a... more »

• The Next Pope: More black smoke after third vote

  March 13, 2013 8:10 AM

  VATICAN CITY - The Cardinals are still in search of a pope after three votes during their conclave at the Vatican in the Sistine Chapel. Black smoke has been billowing from the chimney of the chapel, meaning the Roman Catholic cardinals have not elected a pope in their second or... more »

• The Next Pope: Louisiana Catholics pray for pope Play Video

  March 12, 2013 5:33 PM

  BATON ROUGE- As the 115 cardinals participating in the conclave to elect a new pope entered the Sistine Chapel, Catholics worldwide began to pray. Father Jamin David knows most believers want the same thing in a pope, but adds anyone looking for radical change may need to keep praying.... more »

• The Next Pope: American priest a hit in Rome

  March 12, 2013 3:44 PM

  VATICAN CITY - Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley, who wears the humble brown robe of his Capuchin religious order, has emerged as an unlikely star amid the papal conclave in Rome. Vatican analysts for leading Italian newspapers have listed O'Malley as one of the favorite contenders for pope. The bearded, soft-spoken... more »

• The Next Pope: Cardinals celebrate Mass before conclave

  March 12, 2013 8:08 AM

  VATICAN CITY - Cardinals at the Vatican have celebrated a final Mass before they sequester themselves in the Sistine Chapel to begin selecting a new pope. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the dean of the College of Cardinals, delivered today's homily, calling for unity within the church. When he mentioned... more »

• The Next Pope: Top contenders at Conclave

  March 11, 2013 5:53 PM

  VATICAN CITY -- Cardinals from around the world gather this week in a conclave to elect a new pope following the stunning resignation of Benedict XVI. In the secretive world of the Vatican, there is no way to know who is in the running, and history has yielded plenty of... more »

• The Next Pope: Horse-trading before Conclave

  March 11, 2013 5:50 PM

  VATICAN CITY - The Vatican insists that the cardinals participating in the conclave that starts Tuesday will vote their conscience, each influenced only by silent prayers and reflection. Everybody knows, however, that power plays, vested interests and Machiavellian maneuvering are all part of the game, and that the horse-trading is... more »

• Vietnam cardinal arrives, last 1 in for conclave

  March 7, 2013 3:44 PM

  VATICAN CITY - The last cardinal who will participate in the conclave to elect the next pope arrived in Rome on Thursday, meaning a date can now be set for the election. One U.S. cardinal said a decision on the start date is expected soon. Some American and other cardinals... more »

• Vatican waiting on 5 cardinals for conclave

  March 5, 2013 7:38 AM

  VATICAN CITY - The Vatican is now waiting for five more cardinals to reach Rome before setting the date for the conclave to elect a new pope. The Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said another handful of cardinals had arrived Monday night, bringing the number of voting-age cardinals up... more »

• Pope flies to papal retreat in helicopter

  February 28, 2013 10:19 AM

  VATICAN CITY - 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. As his closest aide wept by his side, Benedict bade farewell to Vatican officials gathered in... more »

• Benedict greets cardinals on final day as pope

  February 28, 2013 4:43 AM

  VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI has greeted his cardinals for the last time as pontiff, beginning his final day as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics before heading into retirement. During his comments, Benedict promised "unconditional reverence and obedience" to his successor. He urged his cardinals to... more »

• Pope addresses crowd at final public appearance

  February 27, 2013 8:21 AM

  VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict has made his public goodbye. He addressed tens of thousands of people in and around St. Peter's Square today, in his final general audience before stepping down tomorrow. The pope told the crowd he has had "moments of joy and light, but also moments... more »

• Vatican: Pope hit head during Mexico trip

  February 14, 2013 7:28 AM

  VATICAN CITY - The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI hit his head during his March 2012 trip to Mexico but denies it had any "relevant" role in his resignation. Italy's La Stampa newspaper reported Thursday that Benedict hit his head and bled when he got up in the middle of... more »

• BRHS choir gets Ash Wednesday papal audience Play Video

  February 13, 2013 10:48 AM

  VATICAN CITY - Students from Baton Rouge performed for Pope Benedict XVI during an Ash Wednesday papal audience today at the Vatican. Members of the Baton Rouge High School Festival Singers performed a Papal address. Faculty members said they were in Italy for a choral tour when they... more »

• Benedict's final hours as pope far from Vatican

  February 13, 2013 7:18 AM

  VATICAN CITY - The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI will spend his final day as pontiff attending a morning farewell ceremony with his cardinals, then fly off by helicopter in the early evening to his papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. That timetable means Benedict will be far from the... more »

• Vatican acknowledges that pope has pacemaker

  February 12, 2013 7:16 AM

  VATICAN CITY - The Vatican is acknowledging for the first time that Pope Benedict XVI has had a pacemaker for years and that its battery was replaced a few months ago in secret. Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said Benedict had the pacemaker installed "a long time" before he became... more »

• Catholic leaders respond to Pope's resignation

  February 11, 2013 11:43 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Local Catholic leaders are responding to Pope Benedict XVI's resignation. In a statement, Bishop Robert W. Muench of Baton Rouge said, "When I think of Pope Benedict, the words of St. Paul come to mind: "Whatever you do, do with your whole heart. Do it for... more »

• Man who scaled Vatican talked down safely

  January 1, 2013 11:55 AM

  VATICAN CITY - A man has scaled the scaffolding around St. Peter's Square and draped a banner calling on Pope Benedict XVI to "Stop Terrorism." The man identified himself on the banner as Julian Jungarean, a Romanian who has previously scaled the colonnade around the piazza. After a few hours... more »

• Vatican: World not ending, despite Maya prediction

  December 11, 2012 2:32 PM

  VATICAN CITY - The Vatican's top astronomer has some assurances to offer: The world won't be ending in about two weeks, despite predictions to the contrary. The Rev. Jose Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory, wrote in Wednesday's Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano that "it's not even worth discussing" doomsday scenarios... more »

• Hawaii, NY women to be elevated to sainthood

  October 17, 2012 2:49 PM

  HONOLULU - Mother Marianne Cope was known in life for her strength and kindness, battling bureaucrats in Hawaii as she led a group of fellow nuns to care for leprosy patients in the islands. The Vatican this weekend will declare her a saint as it formally recognizes what her supporters... more »

• Protester gives up St. Peter's protest

  October 3, 2012 3:03 PM

  VATICAN CITY - An Italian man has given up his protest atop the St. Peter's Basilica after more than 24 hours perched on the 426-foot-high dome to demonstrate against government reforms. Two firefighters helped pull Marcello De Finizio inside the basilica on Wednesday evening, a full day after he... more »

• Pope stakes out church's course entering 8th year

  April 24, 2012 5:17 PM

  VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI is beginning his eighth year as pope after spending the waning days of his seventh driving home his very conservative view of the Catholic Church. In recent weeks, the Vatican has issued a divisive crackdown on dissenters and an equally divisive opening to a... more »

• Pope marks Ash Wednesday

  February 22, 2012 11:56 AM

  ROME- Pope Benedict XVI has led a solemn service to mark the start of the Lenten season of penitence, including the placement of ashes on the forehead of faithful. Benedict wore purple-colored vestments as he celebrated Mass in the Basilica of Santa Sabina, an ancient church on Rome's Aventine Hill.... more »

• Pope urges respect for embryos

  November 27, 2010 1:16 PM

  VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI has called for politicians and other world leaders to show more respect for human life at its earliest stages by saying embryos are dynamic, autonomous individuals. Benedict made the comments during a vespers service Saturday to mark the beginning of Advent. This year, the... more »

• Pope: Condoms okay, abstinence better

  November 21, 2010 9:48 AM

  VATICAN CITY- The Vatican on Sunday cautioned that there is nothing "revolutionary" in Pope Benedict XVI's startling assertion that condom use in exceptional circumstances can be a responsible act in the fight against the spread of HIV. The Holy See's chief spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, issued a statement... more »

• Vatican: Pope may apologize for sex abuse by priests

  April 28, 2010 1:21 PM

  Pope Benedict XVI may issue a mea culpa for the church's handling of clerical sexual abuse cases when he attends a meeting of the world's clergy in June, the Vatican official in charge of handling abuse cases said. Cardinal William Levada also said he intended to hold up the... more »

• Vatican makes clear bishops must report sex abuse

  April 12, 2010 9:27 AM

  The Vatican has for the first time made it clear that bishops and other high-ranking clergy should report clerical sex abuse to police. The Vatican has insisted that this has long been the Catholic Church's policy. But in a new guide for lay readers posted Monday on its Web site,... more »

• Files show Pope Benedict resisted action against abuser

  April 9, 2010 1:05 PM

  Church files show that before becoming pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger resisted defrocking a California priest who molested children. A 1985 letter signed by Ratzinger cited concerns about the effect that removing the priest would have on "the good of the universal church." The correspondence was obtained exclusively by... more »

• Vatican critical of condom machine in Rome school

  March 11, 2010 8:29 PM

  The Vatican condemned the decision of a high school in Rome to install condom machines, charging the move will encourage young people to have sex. The Mayor of Rome says it sends the wrong message. Despite the firestorm, Keplero high school vowed to go ahead in an effort to stop... more »

• Pope knocked down by woman at Christmas Mass

  December 24, 2009 6:58 PM

  A woman jumped the barriers in St. Peter's Basilica and knocked down Pope Benedict XVI as he walked down the main aisle to begin Christmas Eve Mass on Thursday. The 82-year-old pope quickly got up and was unhurt, said a Vatican spokesman. Video shot by a witness showed the woman... more »