Pope Urges New World Order for Global Economy

(NEWSER) - President Obama met with Pope Benedict for the first time today at the Vatican, the AP reports. The White House press secretary predicted a “frank discussion. I think that there's a lot that they agree on that they'll get a chance to discuss,” said Robert Gibbs. Though the pontiff and the president disagree on abortion and stem cell research, their shared interests include Middle East peace and the plight of developing nations. More»

Leaks shed light on Holy See power struggle

(NEWSER) - The Vatican's already-battered image is taking a beating lately from a series of leaks that have exposed an ugly power struggle inside the Holy See, Reuters reports. "It is a total mess," says one source, who believes the leaks are part of a "mutiny of the monsignors" against Pope Benedict XVI's heavy-handed deputy, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. The leaks have brought to light an alleged murder plot against the pontiff and revealed that Bertone transferred an archbishop who tried to blow the whistle on corruption . More»

Vatican dismisses assassination outlined in letter

(NEWSER) - A bizarre plot to assassinate the Pope made headlines in Italy yesterday and may signal a new turn in a Vatican power struggle , the Guardian reports. A cardinal from Colombia notified Pope Benedict XVI's inner circle about the plan by delivering a letter from Cardinal Paolo Romeo, the archbishop of Palermo. In the letter, Romeo claims to have heard about the murder plot during several conversations with Italian businessmen in Beijing last November. More»

British church issues 'faith cards' to 1M

(NEWSER) - One million people are about to become card-carrying Catholics, thanks to the Vatican. Inspired by Pope Benedict, the British church hierarchy is issuing cards to Catholics at Sunday Mass. Holders sign their name declaring themselves as Catholics, and a message requests that a priest be called for the holder in case of an emergency. The cards also carry a quote encouraging the holder to be a "preacher of truth." We "all carry cards in our wallets which reflect something of our identity and the things that are important to us," explained a church spokesman, who conceded the faith can't be "summarized in bullet points" on the Catholic card. The "carry-a-faith cards" are setting the church back $9,000, reports the Telegraph. More»

It credits boy's recovery to miracle by Kateri Tekakwitha

(NEWSER) - A young boy's recovery from flesh-eating bacteria will help a 17th-century woman become the first Native American saint in the Catholic Church, reports USA Today . The Vatican has called the recovery of Washington state's Jake Finkbonner from near death in 2006 a miracle that can be credited to Kateri Tekakwitha. Jake's family prayed to Tekakwitha, who was disfigured by smallpox herself as a girl in what is now upstate New York. More»