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.
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 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's official representative Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor is visiting Vasai, an extended suburb of Mumbai, on Wednesday.
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.
Following his weekly general audience in the Vatican City, the Pope received the group on Wednesday, which included five wives of country leaders.
We present a collection of photographs from across the globe to exhibit Christmas festivities. Merry Christmas!
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.
Catholics pay homage to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the Vatican.
10 interesting facts about the Vatican and papacy
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.
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.
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.
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 Roman Catholic cardinals will begin electing a new pope on Tuesday, the Vatican announced on Friday after 115 cardinals gathered for talks, BBC reported.
Don't Miss: The interesting videos this week!
Rediff.com takes look at the grand lakeside villa, which will be Benedict's first refuge.
Rediff.com takes a look at some of the highs and lows that marked Pope Benedict XVI's tenure.
It was a campaign seeking to contribute to the creation of a new culture of tolerance. But it stirred up a storm.
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.
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 a look at some of the prominent papabile cardinals who might take over from Pope Benedict XVI.
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 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.
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 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.
The Pope had made remarks while receiving India's envoy.
Pope Benedict XVI failed to mention the child sex abuse scandal, which rocked the Roman Catholic Church, in his traditional Easter message in Rome.
Nearly 10,000 people, mostly Keralite Christians, are expected to participate in the canonisation of Sister Alphonsa in Vatican on October 12.
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.
'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.
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