Vatican Insider

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  "Lord, I...": Pope Benedict's Last Words Recorded By His Bedside Nurse

  The German pope emeritus, whose birth name was Joseph Ratzinger, had been living a quiet life in a former convent inside the Vatican grounds.

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  Pope Rejects Argentine President's Donation Of 16,666,000 Pesos Because Of The '666' Part

  An already tense relationship between the world's two most powerful Argentines became more so recently when the pope rejected a sizable charitable donation to an organization he backs from Argentina's president, Mauricio Macri. The reason? In addition to possible concerns over the donation's political overtones, a communication from the pope to the...

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  Bernie Sanders Gets Mobbed By Media In Rome, But No Pope Meeting

  He came (to Rome), he saw (the inside of the Vatican but not Pope Francis) and he conquered (the few dozen students and expats who turned out to see him).

• Pope Faces Key Test With Vote on Divorcees, Gays

  Pope Francis was set to sort his allies from his enemies Saturday with a Vatican vote on a document drafted at the end of a fierce two-week debate over opening the Catholic Church's doors to remarried divorcees and gays.

• Pope Francis to drive his own "popemobile" inside Vatican City

  Pope Francis plans to drive around Vatican City at the wheel of a "popemobile" that is a lot like him: frugal, clad in white, and with a fair bit of mileage.

• Pope Francis names commission of inquiry into Vatican bank

  Pope Francis has named a commission of inquiry to look into the activities of the troubled Vatican bank amid a fresh money-laundering investigation and questions about what exactly goes on inside the secretive institution.

• Pope Francis admits to 'gay lobby' in Vatican administration: report

  Pope Francis has admitted the existence of a "gay lobby" inside the Vatican's secretive administration, the Roman Curia, allegedly exposed during a leaks scandal, according to a Latin American Catholic website.

• Pope Francis turns on charm in first meeting with press

  Pope Francis offered intimate insights Saturday into the moments after his papal election, telling an audience with the press that he was immediately inspired to take the name of St. Francis of Assisi because of his work for peace and the poor - and was embraced by another cardinal amid applause inside the conclave.

• New York cardinal offers glimpse of new pope's style

  Shortly after his election on Wednesday night, Pope Francis shunned the papal limousine and rode on the last shuttle bus with other cardinals to go back to a residence inside the Vatican for a meal.

• For cardinals at conclave, cigarette and a tipple to relieve papal tension

  The cardinals locked inside the Sistine Chapel for deep meditation and reflection until they choose a new pope can break off for a smoke or enjoy a glass of wine, the Vatican spokesman said on Wednesday.

• Outgoing pope prepares for monk's life in Vatican

  Pope Benedict XVI, who has announced he will resign on February 28, will retire to a monastery tucked away inside the historic walls of the Holy See: so once the new pope is elected, there will be a former pontiff and his successor living in the Vatican.

• Ho Ho Holy Discount: Vatican tax-free store busy

  There's a little-known open secret in the Vatican gardens, a few paces behind St. Peter's Basilica and tucked inside the Vatican's old train station: a sprawling, three-story tax-free department store that rivals any airport duty free or military PX, stocking everything from Church's custom grade shoes ("483 a pair) to Baume et Mercier watches (lad...