(RNS) Pope Benedict XVI has reportedly told the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) that they must accept the Second Vatican Council, a move that might seal the fate of years of negotiations to bring the group fully back into the Catholic fold. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) The pope's former butler goes to trial on Saturday, an unprecedented test for the legal system of the world's smallest state -- and a chance to restore the Vatican's credibility. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Cardinal Raymond Burke isn't shy about speaking his mind, but the former archbishop of St. Louis has quietly become an influential player in Rome since Pope Benedict XVI named him the Vatican's top legal authority. By David Gibson.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Catholic leaders in Muslim countries are calling for a U.N. resolution against blasphemy -- a potential problem for the Vatican as it tries to combat religious desecration while stopping short of endorsing laws to outlaw it. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) A Catholic rival to Google AdSense will be unveiled Thursday with the aim of providing Catholic websites with church-approved, morally sound advertisements. By Alessandro Speciale.

BEIRUT (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday (Sept. 16) took the unusual step of directly appealing to Arab countries to find "workable solutions" to the conflict in Syria and tensions throughout the Middle East. By Alessandro Speciale.

BEIRUT (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Lebanon on Friday for a high-risk trip aimed at emboldening the Middle East’s beleaguered Christian minority, just as anti-Western protests spread through much of the Muslim world. By Alessandro Speciale.

(RNS) The Vatican issued a firm condemnation of the attack against the U.S. embassy in Libya, one day after a statement that focused on decrying "provocations" against Muslim sensibilities. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican confirmed on Wednesday (Sept. 12) that Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Lebanon will go ahead as planned, despite growing tension in the region after the killing of the U.S. ambassador to Libya by a mob enraged by an anti-Islam film. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS)  Pope Benedict XVI embarks Friday (Sept. 14) on a high-risk trip to Lebanon, as the country's stability is threatened by spillover from the conflict in neighboring Syria. By Alessandro Speciale.

(RNS) Bishop Robert W. Finn was found guilty Thursday of failing to tell police about a priest suspected of sexually exploiting children. But will the pope fire him? Will he quit? By David Gibson. 

VATICAN CITY (RNS) A lawyer for Pope Benedict XVI's former butler announced on Thursday (Aug. 30) that he was resigning over differences in defense strategy with his client. By Alessandro Speciale.

(RNS) The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious comprises convents with a total of about 10,000 nuns, and you probably won't be reading about any Vatican investigation of their practices. By David Gibson.

(RNS) Pope Benedict XVI's butler will stand trial for stealing the pope's private papers and leaking them to the press. According to an indictment sentence by a Vatican judge, Paolo Gabriele said he acted feeling like an agent of the Holy Spirit. By Alessandro Speciale.

ST. LOUIS (RNS) American nuns facing a Vatican takeover of their leadership organization on Friday (Aug. 10) rejected Rome’s plans to recast the group in a more conservative mold but declined – for now – to respond with an ultimatum that could have created an unprecedented schism between the sisters and the hierarchy. By David Gibson.