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.

ST. LOUIS (RNS) The Rev. Don Wester believes homilies should be practical and direct -- that they should draw a connection between the everyday struggles of parishioners and biblical truths. And it’s exactly the kind of preaching that Catholic bishops across America are hoping for as part of a new national effort to improve preaching at Catholic parishes. By Tim Townsend.

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.

(RNS) Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley on Thursday kicked off an ambitious, four-year project to reorganize the archdiocese’s 288 parishes into approximately 135 ``parish collaboratives,'' each headed by a single pastor and served by a ministry team. By G. Jeffrey MacDonald. 

(RNS) As Congress embarks on high-stakes budget negotiations to avoid the “fiscal cliff,” leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are urging elected officials not to target programs for the poor and instead raise taxes and reduce defense spending. By David Gibson

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) Pope Benedict XVI's former butler started serving his jail sentence in the Vatican after being convicted in the Vatileaks affair. 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 XVI joined a small remnant of living "council fathers" to mark the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, a watershed event that dramatically altered the life and outlook of the Catholic Church. 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.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) A Vatican judge sentenced Pope Benedict's former butler to 18 months in jail for stealing the pontiff's private papers and leaking them to the press. But a Vatican spokesman said that a papal pardon is highly likely. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI's former butler said he was held for weeks in a cell where he couldn't "even stretch his arms'' and where his light was kept constantly on. Paolo Gabriele pleaded not guilty to stealing the pope's private papers, but said he had betrayed the pope's trust. By Alessandro Speciale.