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) With hundreds of movies and novels devoted to their crimes and intrigues, the Borgias are probably the most controversial family in the history of the papacy. But a new book, drawing on documents from the Vatican Secret Archive, tries to cast the Renaissance dynasty in a new light and dispel the "black legend" surrounding it. By Alessandro Speciale

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Just in time for Christmas, the Vatican on Tuesday (Nov. 20) released a new book by Pope Benedict XVI focused on Jesus' birth and childhood, the final installment of his trilogy on the life of Jesus. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Latin is not a dead language, at least if Pope Benedict gets its way. He created a new Vatican academy to promote the study and knowledge of Latin in the church and in society. By Alessandro Speciale

VATICAN CITY (RNS) A Vatican computer expert was found guilty of helping the pope's former butler in leaking confidential papal documents to the press. Claudio Sciarpelletti won't be spending time in jail but he risks losing his Vatican job. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Despite recent setbacks in the U.S. and Europe, the Catholic Church is not losing its fight against gay marriage. On the contrary, according to the Vatican newspaper, its resistance is alerting many to the dangers of threatening the "foundation" of human society. 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