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.

(RNS) In a massive display of solemn ecclesiastical pomp, hundreds of Catholic leaders strode into St. Peter’s Basilica 50 years ago, the start of an historic three-year assembly that would change the way the world’s largest Christian body viewed itself and the rest of the world. By John Pope.

(RNS) Fifty years after he opened the revolutionary Second Vatican Council, Pope John XXIII, known as the Good Pope, is on the verge of being declared a saint. Perhaps the key question is: Should he be? By Greg Tobin.

(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 death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, considered a leader by liberal Catholics, has been mourned by hundred of thousands of people last week. As their leading light passes away, advocates for reform in the church are left without a uniting figure. By Alessandro Speciale.

AMITYVILLE, N.Y. (RNS) Some critics say many Catholic sisters have been using the Second Vatican Council to justify positions and activities that are in conflict with official church teachings, but some nuns say they are living by Vatican II's call to get out of the convent and into the community. By Kim Lawton of Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

(RNS/ENInews) Leading church historian Diarmaid MacCulloch believes Christianity faces a "bright future" worldwide, but predicts the Roman Catholic church will undergo a major schism over its moral and social teaching. By Jonathan Luxmoore.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Catholic traditionalist group SSPX said the Vatican's latest reconciliation offer is "clearly unacceptable,'' a move that comes as Pope Benedict XVI appointed a high-profile American prelate to oversee relations with traditionalists. By Alessandro Speciale.