Although Pope Benedict has criticised many aspects of modern pop culture, he now allows the newspaper of the tiny independent Vatican state to reflect the reality of the world outside in a way that would have been unthinkable in the days of Pope Paul VI who reigned during heyday of The Beatles.
Originally, the prosecutor had raised other possible charges of conspiracy, crimes against the Vatican City State, defamation and revealing state secrets (all Vatican employees are required to swear an oath of secrecy regarding everything they see and learn in the course of their duties).
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The Holy See is the supreme government of the Roman Catholic Church, which operates from the independent territory of the Vatican City State in Rome.
Making sure the transition goes smoothly, Benedict made an important appointment Wednesday, naming the No. 2 administrator of the Vatican city state, Monsignor Giuseppe Sciacca, as a legal adviser to the camerlengo.
But Pope Benedict could finally be best remembered for his lonely decision to step down voluntarily as leader of the world's 1.3 billion Roman Catholics and CEO of the minuscule Vatican City State - a decision made because he simply felt he was no longer up to the job.
Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza was recalled to Rome "for consultations with the (Vatican) Secretariat of State, " the official Vatican Information Service said in citing a statement from the Roman Catholic Church's leadership.
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He received orders from the Vatican Secretariat of State and briefed the press accordingly.
Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone on Wednesday thanked Pope Benedict for his service.
When he became Vatican secretary of state, Bertone "did what normally happens, " said the Rev.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said church leaders could not be "simple spectators to the tragedy taking place in Syria".
Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone later thanked Benedict for his service.
The current camerlengo is Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state.
Francis Rooney, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See from 2005 to 2008, said that top Catholic officials, including current Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, regularly lobbied American envoys to relax the economic embargo on Cuba.
Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone said it was "deplorable" that as the time for the Roman Catholic cardinals to elect a new pope approaches, a rash of "often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories" has appeared.
"The Holy Father wishes to express his warm congratulations for the historic decision taken by the Governments of the United States of America and Cuba to establish diplomatic relations, with the aim of overcoming, in the interest of the citizens of both countries, the difficulties which have marked their recent history, " the Vatican Secretary of State wrote in a statement Wednesday.
"He enjoys all the legal guarantees provided by the criminal code and criminal procedure in force in the State of Vatican City, " it added.
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The pope won't give the usual brief personal greetings to people afterward, but will meet delegations of heads of state in Vatican City later.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state, is involved in a power struggle with his predecessor, the observers said.
Earlier this week Pope Francis met personally all 300 staff members of the Vatican's secretariat of state, the body responsible for carrying out Church policies.
The most immediate task facing the new pope is picking a new secretary of state, the Vatican's powerful No. 2 official who runs the Holy See government on the pontiff's behalf.
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The leak of a string of highly sensitive internal documents from inside the Vatican's Secretariat of State, including personal letters to Pope Benedict XVI, are an evident embarrassment to the pope, our correspondent says.
BBC: Vatican launches criminal probe into unauthorised leaks
Its police force, the Gendarmerie, is hunting for the source of an unprecedented string of leaks, most of them apparently intended to get Pope Benedict XVI to dismiss Tarcisio Bertone, who as secretary of state is the Vatican's most senior official.
The Vatican only recognised the Jewish state 46 years after its creation and, like the rest of the international community, it does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over east Jerusalem - which during the visit of Pope Paul VI was under Jordanian rule.
The early years of Benedict's papacy saw a stream of diplomatic gaffes, which many Vatican officials blamed on his secretary of state's lack of experience.
As an aside, Lombardi referred to concerns over financial oversight in the city state, which have meant that Vatican shops and museums have not been able to accept credit or debit cards since January 1.
But as long as the secretary of state stays, the infighting in the Vatican seems likely to continue, and the outside world's grave concerns about its administration will remain.
The Vatican emphatically denied the allegations, with Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone criticizing a rash of "often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories" as the cardinals prepare for their conclave to select a new pope.
The Vatican vehemently denied the allegations Saturday, with Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone criticizing a rash of "often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories" as the cardinals prepare for their conclave.
He teaches the techniques of reading personality quirks and preoccupations from what people say they see in ink blots, providing analysis to the Italian courts and to the Vatican, which wants clues to a person's state of mind before deciding on a marriage annulment.
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