VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday promoted his personal secretary to head of the papal household, giving Monsignor Georg Gaenswein even larger influence in organizing the aging pontiff's schedule and meetings. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI has directed bishops around the world to exercise tighter controls on Catholic charities, issuing a new set of rules that also aims to strengthen the organizations' Catholic identity. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican has unveiled Pope Benedict XVI's official Twitter account and announced plans to launch an official papal app for smartphones. By Alessandro Speciale

VATICAN CITY (RNS) A Vatican computer expert who was convicted of aiding and abetting the pope's former butler in the Vatileaks scandal has dropped his appeal. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican newspaper criticized media coverage of Pope Benedict's latest book on Jesus, saying that misdirected attention on minor remarks on Christmas traditions oveshadowed the pontiff's key message. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) The U.S. ambassador to the Vatican paid his farewell visit to Pope Benedict XVI ahead of his return home, after a three-year in which he steered clear of controversies between the Obama administration and the Catholic hierarchy. By Alessandro Speciale

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Five centuries after its inauguration, the Sistine Chapel is visited by around 5 million visitors a year. Some worry this number is unsustainable without damaging Michelangelo's frescoes, but the Vatican wants to keep the iconic chapel open to all. By Alessandro Speciale

VATICAN CITY (RNS) A traditionalist Catholic breakaway group expelled Bishop Richard Williamson, who in 2009 sparked a major crisis in Jewish-Catholic relations for denying the Holocaust shortly before Pope Benedict XVI readmitted him to the church. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict's former butler could serve time in a Vatican jail, unless the pope pardons him in the next few days, according to the full text of his conviction sentence in the Vatileaks trial. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) An American prelate who played a key role in trying to bridge the gap between Rome and U.S. nuns was transferred to Indianapolis only two years after taking up his Vatican post. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Fifty years after the Catholic Church convened the Second Vatican Council to confront internal changes and challenges, hundreds of bishops gathered at the Vatican to discuss how to stem the tide of secularization and rekindle faith in contemporary society. By Alessandro Speciale.