Pope Benedict passed away two days after Pontiff Francis asked to pray for the "very sick" former Pope
The Pope was presented with the symbols of power -- the Papal ring and the pallium (a narrow stole of wool).
Glimpses from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's funeral at the Vatican City, January 5, 2023.
The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI will set in motion preparations to elect a new pope. Rediff.com takes you through the election process.
An estimated two lakh people thronged St Peter's Square at Vatican City on Wednesday to hear Pope Benedict's final address
Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday left the Vatican for the last time as pontiff and flew by helicopter to the Vatican's vacation retreat Castel Gandolfo, a hilltop town southeast of the city.
Rediff.com takes a look at some of the highs and lows that marked Pope Benedict XVI's tenure.
During Sunday prayer in St Peter's Square, where tens of thousands of supporters turned out for Benedict XVI's ahead of his formal resignation, the Pope also assured people that he would not 'abandon' the Church.
Rediff.com takes look at the grand lakeside villa, which will be Benedict's first refuge.
Catholics pay homage to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the Vatican.
Pope Benedict XVI's official representative Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor is visiting Vasai, an extended suburb of Mumbai, on Wednesday.
The Roman Catholic cardinals will begin electing a new pope on Tuesday, the Vatican announced on Friday after 115 cardinals gathered for talks, BBC reported.
Pope Benedict XVI said on Wednesday that he has "deep respect" for Islam.
Following his weekly general audience in the Vatican City, the Pope received the group on Wednesday, which included five wives of country leaders.
It was an embarrassing situation when the Doves of Peace released by Pope Benedict XVI during the weekly Angelus prayer refused to leave the Vatican and flew right in.
Pope Francis has died, the Vatican said on Monday. The Pope passed away on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta, according to a statement from the Vatican.
The mourning will be observed across the country on April 22 and 23, and again on the day of the Pope's funeral.
The Pope had made remarks while receiving India's envoy.
After prayers and ceremonies, the Pope presented beret (Cardinal's cap) and the ring to Cleemis,elevating him to the highest strata of the Catholic hierarchy vested with the voting right to elect the Pontiff, when a situation arises.
Rediff.com takes a look at some of the prominent papabile cardinals who might take over from Pope Benedict XVI.
In his maiden address to the 192-member General Assembly, the pontiff avoided reference to political issues, but concentrated on the need for inter-faith dialogue and human rights based on ethical values.
As the world awaits with bated breath for the election of the new pope, five Indian Roman Catholic Cardinals are part of the secret conclave to elect the Church's 266th pontiff, forming the biggest bloc of electors from a country in Asia.
The Hurriyat faction led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, supported by the Kashmir high court bar association, the Dukhtaran-e-Millat, traders and several other groups, gave the strike call.
"We join with our fellow citizens and millions around the world who pray for continued strength and wisdom as His Holiness leads the Catholic Church," Pope said.
An "unbalanced 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, a Vatican spokesman said on Thursday.
The Catholic Church in India expects more representation in Vatican during Pope Francis' tenure considering the humble background of the first pontiff from Latin America.
The Pope had, in a recent pronouncement at St Peter's square in Vatican, spoken of St Thomas, the Apostle, seemingly taking away from him the traditional title 'Apostle of India'.
"Muslims take their religion very seriously and non-Muslims must appreciate their religious sentiments, and must also understand that there may be serious consequences if you insult Islam and the Prophet."
"AIDS cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems," he told media persons on March 17 while on his way to Cameroon.
The high profile visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the US is noted for the involvement of several Indian Americans as well as a protest in New York. People belonging to different faiths, excluding the Sikhs, will meet with him in an interfaith dialogue at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington DC, on Thursday evening. Several Indians are also invited to the White House reception to the Pope.
The Vatican defines matrimony as a divine union between man and woman.
Five people, suspected to be Arabs, were arrested in London on Friday over an alleged plot to harm Pope Benedict XVI, now on a state visit to the UK. The five men, in the age group of 26-50, were picked up by Scotland Yard on Friday morning in central London and were being questioned by counter-terror detectives.
"The Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbours, within internationally recognised borders," the Pope, who arrived in Bethlehem on Wednesday amid tight security, said during a speech.
Pope Francis shaped the Church he led. And in death, his reforms shape his farewell.
This is the Pope's first visit to a predominantly Muslim nation.
In a rare honour Dr Ravi Gupta, assistant professor of Religion at Center College in Kentucky, has been selected as one of the five young people representing different religions to meet with the Pope and to hand him a present symbolising Hinduism. Gupta will give the Pope an incense burner in the shape of the sacred Hindu symbol, Om.
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