Washington - Delivering a rousing speech attacking economic inequality on Wednesday, President Barack Obama cited Pope Francis, who in his short tenure has made a name for himself in progressive circles by championing the plight of the poor.

In an interview with an influential Jesuit journal, Pope Francis blasted the Catholic Church's 'obsession' with homosexuality, abortion and birth control.

In a statement that would be interpreted as conciliatory, Pope Francis said he would not be the one to judge priests over their sexual orientation. He made his comments on Monday in a news conference after a week-long tour of Brazil.

The official Vatican daily L'Osservatore Romano devoted an entire page of its latest issue to exploring the "religiousness" of popular comic superheroes and concluded the Hulk and Batman are Catholic, although, unfortunately, Superman is Methodist.

Milwaukee - Newly-released documents prove Roman Catholic Church officials in Milwaukee protected accused pedophile priests from criminal prosecution.

Syrian rebels have executed a Syrian Catholic priest, Father Francois Murad, 49, by beheading. The Vatican confirmed Sunday that he was summarily executed on June 23 in the northern village of Gassanieh after being accused of supporting the Assad Regime.

Rome - An Italian pedophile priest imprisoned for sexually abusing young boys claims that Vatican clergy have been involved in an underage male prostitution ring, as well as in satanism, with the aid of a former national military policeman.

Rome - Pope Francis admitted that there is a 'gay lobby' at work inside the Vatican, a reversal from earlier statements from the Holy See denying its existence.

Buenos Aires - Allegations that Jorge Bergoglio, now Pope Francis I, collaborated with Argentina's brutal military dictatorship have been circulating for decades. The Pope, and the Vatican he now heads, have vehemently denied these allegations.

Rome - Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, has emerged as the new Pope, replacing Benedict XVI as the head of the world's largest religion and inheriting a troubled legacy marred by a global epidemic of child sex abuse.

Rome - By remaining in the Vatican after resigning later this month, Pope Benedict XVI will enjoy immunity from prosecution in connection with the global epidemic of clergy sex abuse claims.

The leak of of Pope Benedict XVI's personal correspondence by his butler Paolo Gabriele revealed the Byzantine machinations that took over internal affairs of the the Vatican during the papacy of Benedict XVI.

Melbourne - The Roman Catholic Church in Australia's state of Victoria has admitted that hundreds of children have been sexually abused since the 1930s.

Sydney - An attack by Anonymous on the Vatican in August designed to highlight the church’s position on the endless child abuse scandals has been analyzed by a security company called Imperva. The company watched for 25 days as the attack took place.

Actress Susan Sarandon is at the centre of controversy for calling Pope Benedict a Nazi while speaking at the Hampton Film Festival on the weekend.

A recent study reveals that several common daily activities can put a person at risk for a stroke including constipation, coffee and anger. Monique Vlak, the lead author, and her team found that just getting angry can skyrocket blood pressure.

Yarmouth - In a letter to parishioners of the Yarmouth diocese, the Halifax Roman Catholic Archbishop is appealing for understanding as to why the Church must pay settlements to victims of sexual abuse.

New York - On November 11 in the article The Catholic Synod statement on Israeli settlements, I put forward the view that the comments of Archbishop Cyril Salim Bustros

After last month's seizure of $32 million (US) from Vatican Bank, a group of Holocaust survivors from the former Yugoslavia has asked the European Commission to look into claims that the Vatican Bank laundered valuables stolen by Nazi allies.

Rome - Travellers, tourists and local Romans who visit Vatican City are in for a surprise: Swiss Guard officers will turn away women with bare shoulders or wearing a mini skirt, or anyone wearing shorts. At the Vatican, too much skin is taboo.