-
At 76, he doesn't fit the bill of a youthful, modernizing reformer that many faithful had hoped for and who could dispel an air of scandal that has settled on institutions such as the Vatican Bank.
WSJ: New Argentine Pope Faces Church Splits
-
By doing this, the Pope has expressed his dissatisfaction at the way in which some German faithful are challenging the Vatican on such matters as abortion counselling, and allowing divorced persons to receive communion.
BBC: Analysis: Pope strengthens rule of Rome
-
The source worked inside the Vatican, according to Nuzzi, who refused to give other details such as the source's gender, age and if he or she was clergy or not.
CNN: No cardinal suspected of pope papers leak, Vatican insists
-
Some have been easy for the Vatican to dismiss, such as an anonymous memo outlining a Borgia-esque plot to kill the pope, which struck most people as almost comical in its implausibility.
CNN: Scandals block Vatican's message
-
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is accused by the Vatican of "radical feminism" and of failing to obey church teaching on such matters as the possible ordination of women as priests.
BBC: US Catholic nuns criticised in Vatican report on LCWR
-
Even countries with which the Vatican does not have diplomatic relations, such as Saudi Arabia, are informed of major events such as the installation or funeral of a pope, he said.
CNN: Zimbabwe's Mugabe arrives for pope's inaugural
-
Where the pope may run into difficulty is with the substantial number of liberal Catholics who long to see the Vatican take a more liberal line on matters such as contraception and priestly celibacy.
ECONOMIST: Pope Benedict begins his tour
-
The Vatican is also keen on preserving Catholic loyalty in places such as South America, where dynamic evangelical sects have been attracting baptized Catholics away from their faith, as well as encourage growing communities of Catholics in Africa and Asia.
NPR: Francis Honors John Paul II Before Installation
-
While partially compatible with Catholic social teachings, it was rejected by the Vatican, which objected to the mixing of church theology with Marxist ideas such as class struggle.
CNN: From police officer's son to pope: The life of Benedict XVI
-
Last year the court heard some 220 cases, mainly involving petty crimes such as pickpocketing committed by a tiny fraction of the 18 million people who enter Saint Peter's Basilica or the Vatican Museums each year.
BBC: Vatican embarrassment as Pope's butler goes on trial