Friday nights at Vatican Museums being extended through October

September 23rd, 2009 Vatican bank has new chairmanVATICAN CITY — The Vatican has named an Italian economist as the chairman of its bank. The Vatican said Wednesday that Ettore Gotti Tedeschi replaces Angelo Caloia at the helm of the bank, formally known as the Institute for the Works of Religion.

September 17th, 2009 Vatican sees end to tensions with Russian OrthodoxVATICAN CITY — Relations with the Russian Orthodox church have vastly improved, possibly paving the way for a papal visit to Moscow or a historic meeting between the pope and the Orthodox patriarch outside of Russia or the Vatican, a senior Vatican cardinal said Thursday. Cardinal Walter Kasper told Vatican Radio "we have overcome all the tensions in recent years." He spoke after meeting with Archbishop Hilarion, head of external relations for the Moscow patriarch's office.

September 8th, 2009 Vatican museums to stay open at night through Oct.VATICAN CITY — The Vatican says Friday nights at its museums have been a great success, so it is extending the initiative to include September and October. The Vatican Museums, which include a visit to the Sistine Chapel, are jammed by tourists during the daytime, so this summer they opened the doors on an experimental basis on July 24.

August 28th, 2009 Vatican: Berlusconi cancels L'Aquila visitVATICAN CITY — Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi who is embroiled in a sex scandal has canceled a visit to L'Aquila for a religious service for the remission of sins. Berlusconi was supposed to have participated in the observation Friday alongside Vatican No.

August 17th, 2009 Catholic sisters under Vatican review want answersSILVER SPRING, Md. — A group representing Roman Catholic sisters in the United States is raising concerns about why the Vatican is investigating them and who is funding the inquiry.

July 18th, 2009 Vatican: Pope learning to cope with castLES COMBES, Italy — The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI spent a calm night after breaking his wrist in his Alpine vacation chalet and is learning to cope with the cast on his right arm. Vatican spokesman the Rev.

July 10th, 2009 Obama at Vatican to meet with Pope Benedict XVIVATICAN CITY — President Barack Obama has arrived at the Vatican for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. Obama's motorcade arrived at the Holy See on Friday, greeted by Swiss Guards in their colorful uniforms.

July 10th, 2009 Obama meets with Pope Benedict XVIVATICAN CITY — President Barack Obama is meeting with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. Shaking hands with the pope, Obama said it was "a great honor" to meet him.

July 5th, 2009 Russian president: We want better Vatican tiesVATICAN CITY — Russia's president says Moscow plans to improve its ties with the Vatican. Tensions between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches over property disputes and other issues have so far made it impossible for any pope to visit Moscow.

July 4th, 2009 Vatican runs deficit amid economic crisisVATICAN CITY — The Vatican said Saturday it ran a deficit in 2008 as its finances and donations from across the world were hit by the global economic crisis. The Vatican posted a budget deficit for a second straight year, though the figures improved strongly from 2007.

July 1st, 2009 Controversial Brazilian bishop retiresVATICAN CITY — The Vatican has announced the retirement of a Brazilian archbishop who caused a major stir when he declared that those involved in an abortion for a 9-year-old rape victim were excommunicated. The Vatican said Wednesday that Pope Benedict XVI had accepted the resignation submitted for reasons of age of 76-year-old Archbishop Jose Cardoso Sobrinho of Olinda and Recife.

June 30th, 2009 Vatican chapel with Michelangelo frescos restoredVATICAN CITY — The Vatican says the restoration of a chapel that includes two Michelangelo frescoes has been completed. The Cappella Paolina, or the Pauline Chapel, in the Apostolic Palace is used by the pope and is not open to the general public.

June 19th, 2009 Breakaway Catholic group to ordain 13 in MinnesotaMINNEAPOLIS — An ultraconservative group plans to ordain 13 Roman Catholic priests in Minnesota — even though their elevations likely won't be recognized by the Vatican. The St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary, part of the Society of St.

June 16th, 2009 Pope taps Ranjith to head Colombo archdioceseVATICAN CITY — The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI has named a Vatican official, Monsignor Albert Malcolm Ranjith, to head the Colombo, Sri Lanka archdiocese. Ranjith takes the seat from the retiring Archbishop Oswald Thomas Colman Gomis at a delicate time in Sri Lanka's history, with a brutal 25-year civil war between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels ending last month.

April 22nd, 2009 Vatican to help restore art damaged in Italy quakeVATICAN CITY — The Vatican will help restore paintings, statues and other artworks damaged in the earthquake that devastated central earlier this month. Francesco Buranelli, a top culture official at the Holy See, said experts from the Vatican museums will directly restore some of the works.