Pope Benedict passed away two days after Pontiff Francis asked to pray for the "very sick" former Pope
Glimpses from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's funeral at the Vatican City, January 5, 2023.
The Pope was presented with the symbols of power -- the Papal ring and the pallium (a narrow stole of wool).
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.
The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI will set in motion preparations to elect a new pope. Rediff.com takes you through the election process.
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.
Pope Francis shaped the Church he led. And in death, his reforms shape his farewell.
Catholics pay homage to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the Vatican.
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.
Rediff.com takes a look at some of the highs and lows that marked Pope Benedict XVI's tenure.
An estimated two lakh people thronged St Peter's Square at Vatican City on Wednesday to hear Pope Benedict's final address
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.
Pope Benedict XVI's official representative Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor is visiting Vasai, an extended suburb of Mumbai, on Wednesday.
Pope Benedict XVI said on Wednesday that he has "deep respect" for Islam.
PIX: Piety, reverence and grandeur - Inside Vatican City
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.
We present a collection of photographs from across the globe to exhibit Christmas festivities. Merry Christmas!
Following his weekly general audience in the Vatican City, the Pope received the group on Wednesday, which included five wives of country leaders.
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.
10 interesting facts about the Vatican and papacy
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.
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.
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.
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Rediff.com takes look at the grand lakeside villa, which will be Benedict's first refuge.
Here's a look at Pope Francis' first day on the job.
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.
Rediff.com takes a look at some of the prominent papabile cardinals who might take over from Pope Benedict XVI.
It was a campaign seeking to contribute to the creation of a new culture of tolerance. But it stirred up a storm.
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 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.
Pope Benedict XVI failed to mention the child sex abuse scandal, which rocked the Roman Catholic Church, in his traditional Easter message in Rome.
"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.
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.
"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.
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 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.
Nearly 10,000 people, mostly Keralite Christians, are expected to participate in the canonisation of Sister Alphonsa in Vatican on October 12.
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