Pope

The Vatican announced that it will be co-hosting a major science exhibition in Pisa, Italy, the hometown of astronomer Galileo Galilei, who four centuries ago was branded a heretic by the Church.

The project, which is being organized by Italy's National Institute of Nuclear Physics, the Physics Department of Pisa University and the Vatican Observatory, is called "Stories from Another World. The Universe Inside and Outside of Us."

The "stories" will be based on scientific findings and will examine how the physical universe developed. Some of the interesting objects on display will be original copies of books by Sir Isaac Newton and rock fragments from the moon and Mars, our closest planetary neighbor, The Washington Post shared. more >>

Pope Benedict XVI announced on Friday that he will hold a formal ceremony in February elevating 22 new cardinals he has named.

Soon-to-be cardinals include prelates from some notable Vatican offices, Hong Kong, Berlin, Toronto, Prague, Florence, and New York.

The Pope announced the names of the prelates during the last mass of the Vatican’s Christmas celebrations. more >>

In his message for World Peace Day 2012, Pope Benedict XVI re-asserted his fight against moral relativism, which he has previously blamed for Britain’s summer riots.

In his new message for the upcoming World Peace Day, to be marked Jan. 1, Pope Benedict focused his attention on the youth, urging them to observe their morals and work for the common good of society.

“Today, a particularly insidious obstacle to the task of educating is the massive presence in our society and culture of that relativism which, recognizing nothing as definitive leaves as the ultimate criterion only the self with its desires,” Pope Benedict said in his message Thursday, as reported by Vatican Radio. more >>

Pope Benedict XVI focused his annual Christmas morning message on "reconciliation and peace," especially in Syria, North Africa, and the Middle East.

The pontiff spoke on the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica Sunday morning to deliver his “Urbi et Orbi,” Latin for “to the city and to the world” speech to thousands of tourists and pilgrims.

“May the Lord come to the aid of our world torn by so many conflicts which even today stain the Earth with blood,” Benedict told the crowd. more >>

The root of the European debt crisis, according to Pope Benedict XVI, is a lack of faith.

In his annual Christmas address to the Vatican yesterday, Pope Benedict spoke about the cause of the European debt crisis. He told the clergy, “As this year draws to a close, Europe is undergoing an economic and financial crisis, which is ultimately based on the ethical crisis looming over the Old Continent.”

“Such values as solidarity, commitment to one’s neighbor and responsibility towards the poor and suffering are largely uncontroversial, but motivation is often lacking for individuals and large sectors of society to praise renunciation and make sacrifices.” more >>

A senior Roman Catholic Church official announced Thursday that Pope Benedict XVI will visit Communist Cuba this upcoming spring, marking the first official visit by a pontiff in nearly a decade.

Although the official purpose of the trip is to make a pilgrimage to honor Cuba’s patron saint, the Virgin of Caridad del Cobre, the visit also holds meaningful insight into Cuba’s relationship to the Catholic Church.

The head of the Cuban Bishops Conference, Monsignor Jose Felix Perez said Thursday that the Pope has “a special affection toward the people of Cuba for the social conditions in our country,” the majority of whom claim to be Roman Catholic. more >>