Pope meets with top Irish churchmen after abuse report published

October 7th, 2009 Irish Catholic bishops meet child-abuse victimsDUBLIN — Ireland's senior Roman Catholic bishops on Wednesday met leading campaigners for thousands of children assaulted, terrorized or molested while in church care — but didn't address the victims' key demand for the church to admit its responsibility for overseeing decades of abuse. Representatives from four victims groups spent three hours talking with the bishops inside Maynooth, the Republic of Ireland's only remaining seminary, and pledged to meet again in coming months.

October 1st, 2009 Pope meets Pakistan president at summer retreatCASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy — The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI and the president of Pakistan discussed the need to end religious discrimination during a meeting at the papal summer retreat. Tensions have flared in recent months between Pakistan's Muslim minority and its religious minorities.

September 26th, 2009 Berlusconi, pope meet 1st time since sex scandalROME — Premier Silvio Berlusconi had his first meeting Saturday with Pope Benedict XVI since the Italian leader was implicated in a sex scandal that broke last spring. Vatican spokesman the Rev.

July 29th, 2009 Pope: 'Guardian angel' did not stop accidentLES COMBES, Italy — Pope Benedict XVI said Wednesday that his guardian angel was clearly acting "on superior orders" when he let the pontiff fall and break his wrist this month. The 82-year-old pope said in a lighthearted tone that: "Perhaps the Lord wanted to teach me more patience and humility, give me more time for prayer and meditation," the pope added.

July 27th, 2009 Vatican says pope fell looking for light switchROME — The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI was looking for a light switch in the bedroom of his Alpine chalet when he tripped and broke his wrist while on vacation 10 days ago. Papal spokesman the Rev.

July 10th, 2009 Obama to conclude summit talks, meet with popeL'AQUILA, Italy — Global problems, Africa and the pope all figure in President Barack Obama's day. He's in Italy, where the three-day G-8 summit on climate change and the economy is wrapping up.

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 7th, 2009 A glance at Obama's overseas itineraryA glance at President Barack Obama's itinerary for his overseas trip: FRIDAY, JULY 10, IN ITALY — Attends G-8 breakfast with African countries. — Attends G-8 session with African countries.

June 29th, 2009 Pope signs new globalization encyclicalVATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI signed his latest encyclical Monday, a text on ways to make globalization more attentive to meeting the needs of the poor amid the worldwide financial crisis. The document, entitled "Charity in Truth," is expected to be published soon.

June 24th, 2009 Irish Catholic orders to tell gov't of wealth soonDUBLIN — The Irish government announced Wednesday that it expects Catholic religious orders responsible for decades of child abuse to report by mid-July on their cash and assets — the next step in making them pay more to thousands of victims. Prime Minister Brian Cowen and his senior Cabinet deputies met leaders of 18 orders that concealed chronic physical, sexual and psychological abuse in boarding schools, reformatories and orphanages from the 1930s to 1990s.

June 18th, 2009 Pope deplores priests' infidelities to their vowsVATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI deplored priests who were unfaithful to their vows and called Thursday for a "frank and complete acknowledgment" of the Catholic Church's weakness in a letter to priests around the globe. The letter was the first public statement from Benedict since an independent commission in Ireland issued a report last month detailing "endemic" molestation and rape at church-run boys' facilities and ritualized beatings at girls' schools from the 1930s to the 1990s.

June 5th, 2009 Pope meet with Irish churchmen after abuse reportVATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI meets Friday with Ireland's top churchmen following the publication of a damning report detailing decades of rapes, humiliation and beatings at church-run reform schools in Ireland for castaway children. The Vatican said the pontiff would meet in a private audience with Cardinal Sean Brady of Armagh and Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.

May 13th, 2009 Pope gunman wants to convert to ChristianityANKARA, Turkey — The gunman who shot Pope John Paul II says he would like to convert to Christianity at a baptism ceremony at the Vatican after his release from prison in January. In comments relayed by his lawyer on Wednesday, Mehmet Ali Agca also says he wants to visit the grave of Pope John Paul II, meet with Pope Benedict XVI and produce a television documentary on the Vatican.

May 8th, 2009 Pope heads to Mideast on 'pilgrimage of peace'ROME — Pope Benedict XVI has set off for the Middle East on a self-proclaimed pilgrimage of peace. Benedict's plane took off from Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport at about 9:50 a.m.

April 29th, 2009 Pope greets native CanadiansVATICAN CITY — A group of Canadian aboriginals attended Pope Benedict XVI's general audience on Wednesday before a private meeting where the pope was expected to express concern about the former policy of forced attendance of Indian children at Christian-run schools. From the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 150,000 Indian children in Canada were made to attend state-funded Christian schools as an effort to assimilate them into Canadian society.