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In a letter published by the Vatican, ex-Pope Benedict XVI expresses "my profound shame, my deep sorrow and my heartfelt request for forgiveness," in response to inquiry into his handling of child sex abuse when he was Archbishop of Munich and Freising between 1977 and 1982. In a statement published with the letter, his aides insist that "as an archbishop, Cardinal Ratzinger was not involved in any cover-up of acts of abuse".
2022-02-8

Pope Francis asks Catholic faithful in Europe to host refugee families fleeing death from war and hunger, and announces the Vatican's two churches will welcome two families of refugees.
2015-09-6

Pope Francis urges President Shimon Peres of Israel and President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine to work for peace at an historic joint prayer meeting at the Vatican.
2014-06-8

Two months after his resignation, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI returns to live in Vatican City at the Mater Ecclesiae.
2013-05-2

A court in the Vatican finds Pope Benedict XVI's former butler Paolo Gabriele guilty of theft for stealing and leaking confidential documents and sentences Gabriele to 18 months' imprisonment.
2012-10-6

To mark Pope Benedict XVI’s 85th birthday, a concert is held in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. The managing director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig states that playing for the Pope is the pinnacle of the orchestra’s history.
2012-04-20

Pope Benedict XVI delivers the annual Christmas message at Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City.
2011-12-25

Pope Benedict XVI blesses Easter Mass in Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City, calling for diplomacy and dialogue to bring ongoing events in Libya to a peaceful conclusion.
2011-04-24

Pope Benedict XVI canonises Mary MacKillop, the first Australian saint, in front of 50,000 people in Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican City.
2010-10-17