Pope, Pakistani president meet in Italy, stress need to end religious discrimination

August 9th, 2009 Pope: concentration camps a symbol of evilCASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy —Pope Benedict XVI says that Nazi concentration camps were "extreme symbols of evil" and hell on earth. The pontiff says concentration camps are a symbol of the "hell that comes to earth when man forgets God and replaces him, usurping his right to decide what is right and what is wrong, to give life and death." The German-born Benedict was forced to join the Hitler Youth, and on Sunday was remembering two saints who had died in concentration camps.

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 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 13th, 2009 Pope on vacation in the Italian AlpsLES COMBES, Italy — The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI has traveled to a village in the Italian Alps for two weeks of vacation. It says the pontiff was flown to Turin on a plane Monday and then traveled on to Les Combes, in a region near the French border, by helicopter.

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 10th, 2009 Obama set for emotional visits to Vatican, GhanaL'AQUILA, Italy — President Barack Obama is ending three days of often-wonkish policy discussions with fellow world leaders to embark on two of the most photogenic and emotional events of his young presidency: meeting the pope at the Vatican and becoming the first black American president to visit a mostly black African country. He was throwing in a televised news conference from Italy for good measure.

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 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 L'AQUILA - While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been busy with back-to-back meetings of the G8-G5 summit and bilaterals with heads of other countries in this quake-hit town of central Italy, his wife Gursharan Kaur had her own engagements that included an audience with the Pope. Kaur was taken with wives of other top leaders by Italian authorities to have a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in Rome, about 100 km from here.

June 26th, 2009 TRIESTA - India on Friday told Pakistan that terrorism emanating from its soil was the reason behind bilateral ties being under considerable stress. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Friday met his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi at Triesta city of Italy on the sidelines of the G-8 Foreign ministers meeting.

June 24th, 2009 Obama to visit pope during G-8 visitWASHINGTON — A White House spokesman says President Barack Obama and Pope Benedict XVI will talk about their shared belief in the dignity of all people at their meeting next month. The White House on Wednesday said the two leaders would meet while Obama visits Italy for the G-8 summit.

June 21st, 2009 Pope: refugees must be welcomed despite problemsSAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO, Italy — Pope Benedict XVI said Sunday that countries must continue receiving refugees despite the difficulties they create while also addressing the causes that drive so many people from their homes. Italy has been battling waves of illegal migrants and has enacted a controversial accord with Libya under which it turns back refugees intercepted at sea before they can reach Italian shores to apply for asylum.

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 28th, 2009 Pope to visit quake-hit area in central ItalyONNA, Italy — Pope Benedict XVI will visit the region in central Italy devastated by an earthquake that killed nearly 300 people earlier this month. Benedict's first stop Tuesday will be the village of Onna, which was virtually leveled and where around 40 of the hamlet's 300 residents were killed by the 6.3-magnitude temblor that struck April 6.