Pope Benedict has condemned violence committed in God's name and personally exonerated Jews of responsibility for Jesus' death in his latest book.
Pope Benedict lamented the widespread abandonment of faith in the West on Holy Thursday before he washed and dried the feet of 12 men to mark Christ's gesture of humility to his apostles on the night before he died.
• See slideshow
Germans opposed to Pope Benedict's teachings on sexuality and angry at cases of abuse by priests protested in Berlin while members of parliament boycotted a speech by the pontiff at the start of his four-day visit to his homeland.
Pope Benedict held an unannounced meeting with German victims of sexual abuse by priests and expressed his deep regret for their suffering and that of their families, the Vatican said in a statement.
Actress and social activist Susan Sarandon was reported to have called Pope Benedict a Nazi during a public discussion at a US film festival in New York.
Cuba released 70 members of the dissident Ladies in White group detained during the weekend but warned them not to attend activities related to next week's visit of Pope Benedict, the group's leader said.
Pope Benedict landed in Mexico promising to send out a strong message against drug cartels in a country convulsed by a surge in gang violence over the past five years.
Pope Benedict got no rest from a leaks scandal when an Italian newspaper published documents showing that his butler was not the only person in possession of confidential correspondence indicating a Vatican in disarray.
Pope Benedict's former butler, Paolo Gabriele, goes on trial on Saturday in one of the most embarrassing episodes in recent Vatican history.
Pope Benedict's former butler is to give evidence for the first time on Tuesday on the second day of his trial for stealing documents he hoped would expose corrupt dealings in the Vatican.
Pope Benedict's former butler stole highly sensitive papers the pontiff had marked "to be destroyed" and compromised Vatican security through his actions, the Holy See's police told his trial.
A trial that has thrown open the window on a betrayal of trust and sensitive secrets in the Vatican will come to a head on Saturday with final arguments before judges deliver their verdict on Pope Benedict's former butler.
A Vatican court convicted Pope Benedict's former butler of stealing sensitive documents and sentenced him to 18 months in prison today, at the end of one of the most sensational trials in the recent history of the Holy See.
Pope Benedict urged lapsed and lukewarm Roman Catholics to rediscover their faith but acknowledged there are "bad fish" in the Church itself.
Pope Benedict made six non-European prelates Roman Catholic cardinals, chipping away at the old continent's domination of the elite group that will one day elect his successor
Pope Benedict said that Roman Catholic leaders must have the courage to stand up to attacks by "intolerant agnosticism" prevalent in many countries.
Pope Benedict will see out his life in prayer, "hidden from the world", he said today in his first personal comment on his plans since he stunned Roman Catholics by announcing his retirement.
The Vatican today accused the Italian media of spreading "false and damaging" reports in what it condemned as a deplorable attempt to influence cardinals who will meet in a secret conclave next month to elect a new pope.
Pope Benedict will keep the honorific title of "His Holiness" after he abdicates and will be known as "pope emeritus," the Vatican said.
A relaxed and rested Pope Emeritus Benedict read messages from well-wishers and strolled in his retirement palace gardens today as cardinals due to elect his successor planned pre-vote meetings for next week.
Cardinals held final discussions on the troubled state of the Roman Catholic Church, the day before they seclude themselves from the world to elect a new pontiff, with no frontrunner in view.
With every day Pope Francis reigns, his style reveals more contrasts with his predecessor Benedict in ways that amount to an unspoken criticism of how the retired pontiff conducted his papacy.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will move back to the Vatican on Thursday to live out his retirement in a restored convent close to where his successor now leads the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican said.