All posts tagged "Benedict Xvi"

Pope Francis visited his predecessor Benedict XVI on Monday for an informal Christmas greeting, as the Argentine pontiff prepares to celebrate his first Christmas as leader of the world's Roman Catholics.

Solid gold rings velvet capes and ermine furs are out, humility is in: Pope Francis has shunned Vatican tradition in favour of a simpler style -- and perhaps committed a clerical fashion faux pas in the process.

Pope Francis on Friday hailed predecessor Benedict XVI's historic resignation as a "courageous and humble act" in a speech to cardinals in the Vatican.

Francis said Benedict, who stepped down last month, had "lit a flame in the depth of our hearts that will continue to burn".

Cardinals prepared for a second day of conclave behind the Vatican's walls to elect a pope on Wednesday, with all eyes on a chimney that will signal when there is a new leader for the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

Before the conclave, Benedict XVI ordered an inquiry into Vatican leaks. Now the men who will choose his successor demand its full disclosure