John Paul Wounded in '82 Stabbing by Priest

Faithful will be able to pray before it at John Paul's May ceremony

(NEWSER) - The coffin of John Paul II will be exhumed for his beatification ceremony in May, reports Reuters . It will remain closed, but the faithful will be able to pray before it at the Vatican. About a million people are expected at the ceremony—which will bring John Paul one step closer to sainthood—and the Vatican is warning its flock in the meantime to watch out for online scam artists selling tickets. The event is free, and none are needed. John Paul was fast-tracked for beatification last month. More»

Benedict puts abuse scandals on back burner

(NEWSER) - Pope Benedict seized an opportunity following a massive Mass in Portugal yesterday to slam abortion and gay marriage as among the "most insidious and dangerous challenges that today confront the common good." Some 500,000 people turned out to participate in the Mass at one of Catholicism's holiest shrines in Fatima, a turnout Vatican officials say proves that the abuse scandals haven't deterred the faithful. More»

Agca promises to reveal truth behind shooting, claims to be messiah

(NEWSER) - The Turkish man who shot and wounded Pope John Paul II in 1981 was freed yesterday after nearly 30 years in jail and has promised to tell the full story about the assassination attempt. Mehmet Ali Agca claimed after the shooting that Soviet agents were behind the attack—a theory believed by Italian magistrates and Vatican officials—but he later withdrew his remarks, the Guardian reports. More»

(NEWSER) - In scarcely more than a month, Alberto Cutié has gone from celebrity priest to sex scandal poster boy to Episcopalian—now he can add boring old married guy to his resume, reports the AP. The Miami priest who left the Catholic Church amid a racy photo scandal married his secret girlfriend of 2 years yesterday. A judge performed the ceremony. The Vatican has not removed Cutié from the Catholic priesthood, but he is not yet a full-fledged Episcopal priest. More»

Man who shot pontiff seeks ceremony after prison release

(NEWSER) - The man who shot Pope John Paul II gets out of prison in January—and when he does, he wants to be baptized at the Vatican, his lawyer says. Over the years, Mehmet Ali Agca has claimed to be the Messiah or Jesus Christ, fueling speculation about his mental health and the possibility that he had converted to Christianity. But his lawyer tells the AP Agca’s “not formally a Christian.” More»