Rudy Flouts Communion Ban at Pope Mass

(NEWSER) - A "slim, well-dressed man in his fifties" ran up to Rudy and Judi Giuliani in the Hamptons today and threatened to deck him, witnesses tell the New York Post. Sitting outside a Bridgehampton, NY, bakery, the pair was initially startled by the man. "Alright, do it then!" the former mayor yelled. But the Giulianis slipped away as their tormentor hollered from the sidewalk. More»

Majority of Americans feel better about both pope and the church

(NEWSER) - Both the pontiff and the Catholic Church got an image boost following the pope's recent US visit, reports Reuters. A post-trip poll found that 61% of Americans, both Catholics and non-Catholics, believe the pope's 6-day stint met or exceeded their expectations; 65% now have a more positive view of Pope Benedict. More»

Maher sorry for Nazi jibe, but Catholics want scalp over cult remarks

(NEWSER) - Not for the first time, people are calling for Bill Maher's head—in this case for taking pot shots at Pope Benedict XVI on his HBO show. "If you have a few hundred followers and you let some of them molest children, they call you a cult leader," Maher said. "If you have a billion, they call you 'pope.'" He also made a joke about the pontiff's membership in the Hitler Youth group as a child. More»

Longtime fondness for felines embraced by fellow Catholic cat fanciers

(NEWSER) - One group of Catholics who weren't surprised to see Pope Benedict XVI's "softer side" on his visit to the US are devout cat lovers. Benedict harbors a legendary fondness for felines; his house in Germany was filled with them, and in his former Vatican post he looked after cats who visited his building, the New York Times reports. And the affection goes both ways: a German cat wrote a children’s biography of the former Cardinal Ratzinger, with help from a journalist. More»

Cheney says farewell to Benedict at departure ceremony

(NEWSER) - Pope Benedict XVI concluded his 6-day US visit today, boarding the papal jet at JFK aqirport to return to the Vatican. “The time has come for me to bid farewell to your country,” Benedict said. “May God bless America.” Dick Cheney attended the departure ceremony, which capped Benedict’s day of visiting Ground Zero and celebrating Mass at Yankee Stadium. More»