Sikh leaders in the United States have declined an invitation to attend an inter-faith event during Pope Benedict's first visit to the country next month because they would not be allowed to carry their 'Kirpans' due to security reasons. The US Secret Service insisted that Sikh leaders attending the meeting with Pope Benedict XVI would have to come without the ceremonial daggers as required by their faith, The Washington Post reported.
The present Pope, in a pronouncement at St Peter's Square in Vatican recently, spoke of St Thomas the apostle, seemingly taking away from him the traditional title 'Apostle of India'.
Police, however, denied the knife attack on Iqbal had taken place.
Pope Benedict XVI failed to mention the child sex abuse scandal, which rocked the Roman Catholic Church, in his traditional Easter message in Rome.
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The weekly audience held by Pope Benedict XVI at Paul VI Hall in Vatican City was in for a shock on Thursday, when a group of toned dancers took off their shirts for an acrobatic performance.
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A recently re-discovered secret Bible in which Jesus is believed to predict the coming of the Prophet Muhammad to earth has sparked serious interest from the Vatican.
Seventy two-year-old Archbishop of Guwahati of Salesian Order Thomas Menamparampil has been asked by Pope Benedict XVI to prepare the meditation prayers for Way of the Cross, which the Papal Head himself will lead on Good Friday on April 10 at the Roman Colosseum.
It was a campaign seeking to contribute to the creation of a new culture of tolerance. But it stirred up a storm.
'The particular circumstances that we have recently experienced together demonstrate clearly that, however arduous the path of authentic dialogue may be at times, it is more necessary than ever,' Cardinal Paul Poupard said in a message to Muslims.
The police picked up Masrat Alam, chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Muslim League, a constituent of the hard-line Hurriyat faction, from Srinagar's Shaheedgunj area.
Nearly 10,000 people, mostly Keralite Christians, are expected to participate in the canonisation of Sister Alphonsa in Vatican on October 12.
His alias on Twitter is @OHHDL, which stands for 'The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama,' sent out a welcome note on Saturday.
A Kerala bishop who raised a storm following his decision to adopt a 39-year old woman as his daughter has been suspended.
Sister Alphonsa has been conferred sainthood. Alphonsa from Bharanangnam near Kottayam in Kerala on Sunday became the first woman from India and second from Indian Roman Catholic church to get canonised.
Sister Alphonsa will become the first Indian woman to achieve the high spiritual position in the hall of fame and veneration of the Catholic Church. Hundreds of Keralite Christians from different parts of the world are expected to attend the event at the Vatican and share the jubilation.
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Three churches in the United States were named after Sister Alphonsa before she would be declared a saint by Pope Benedict XVI on October 12 in Vatican.
St Mary's Malankara Catholic Church at Chungam has a plaque bearing the name of Joseph Ratzinger, Archbishop of Munich, for donating 20,000 Deutschmarks, which was about Rs 80,000 at that time, for building the church in 1980.
The mass marked the high point of the first papal visit to the Arabian peninsula.
Ratzinger, 78, is one of the few members of John Paul II's inner circle who are considered 'papabile'.
Here's a look at Pope Francis' first day on the job.
The German-born Pope Benedict XVI will make his first papal visit to Britain on September 16. However, hours before his arrival in London, his key aide, Cardinal Walter Kasper referred to the UK as a 'Third World' country, triggering a new row.
Hindu and Sikh leaders will share stage with Pope Francis during a prayer service in New York
In a historic moment, Pope Francis met the grand imam of Cairo's Al-Azhar Mosque at the Vatican.
The ringing of the bell accompanied the announcement.
Sinead O'Connor, the gifted Irish singer-songwriter, became a superstar in her mid-20s and was known as much for her private struggles and provocative actions as for her fierce and expressive music.
Here's your weekly digest of the craziest stories from around the world.
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