New Pope Book Says Communism Was 'Necessary Evil'
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Communism was a "necessary evil"  that God allowed to happen in the 20th century in order to  create opportunities for good after its demise, Pope John Paul  says in his new book.
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A Vatican handbook made public Monday questioned preventive war and denounced the "horrendous crime" of abortion, but Vatican officials denied they were trying to influence the U.S. presidential election campaign.
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Pope Benedict on Saturday called on China to lift restrictions on religious freedom that "suffocate" the Church and sow divisions among Catholics, in his most significant address on China to date.
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VATICAN CITY -- A Vatican handbook released yesterday laid out Roman Catholic Church teaching questioning preventive war and denouncing the ''horrendous crime&quot; of abortion. But Vatican officials sidestepped questions on whether the war in Iraq was illegal or whether Catholics can vote for candidates who back laws permitting abortion.
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Science & environment: Bad Science: Did the pontiff really suggest that fears over emissions were nothing more than scaremongering?
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Priests working in the Vatican for Poland's secret services during the communist era spied extensively on Pope John Paul II, a Polish cardinal was quoted as saying Tuesday.
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VATICAN CITY, Sept. 16 -- Pope Benedict XVI "sincerely regrets" offending Muslims with his reference to an obscure medieval text that characterizes some of the teachings of Islam's founder as "evil and inhuman," a senior Vatican official said in a statement Saturday.
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VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI yesterday called on China to lift restrictions on religious freedom that "suffocate" the church and sow divisions among Catholics.
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The inclusion of prayers calling for conversions has led to sharp criticism of the Vatican.
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Church of England's new head of education suggest controversial theory should be taught in schools.
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BERLIN - A German cardinal has sparked outrage by warning that modern culture is at risk of descending into "degeneracy," a term that is strongly connected with the persecution of artists by the Nazis.
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Pope Benedict on Saturday condemned genetic engineering and other scientific practices that allow people to select so-called "designer babies" by screening them for defects.
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The Vatican on Monday issued an exhaustive guide to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church on social issues, reiterating positions against abortion, same-sex marriage and preventive war waged without compelling proof of a threat. Church officials said its release a week before the U.S. election was not intended to influence the vote.
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Pope Benedict XVI begins a three-day pilgrimage to Austria on Friday with a solemn tribute to Jewish Holocaust victims, and an appeal to diplomats serving with the U.N. nuclear agency and other international organizations.Ahead of his visit, Benedict's seventh foreign trip in two years as pope, the German-born pontiff spoke of his affection for Austria, a mostly Catholic country 'which has been near to me since my childhood.'But the pope, who visited and vacationed here often as a cardinal, faced a challenge: Many Austrian believers, disgusted by clergy sex scandals and deeply resentful of a government-imposed church tax, have grown cold _ and tens of thousands have left the church altogether. Read more
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Pope John Paul says the new millennium, which started with great hope, has been scarred by spreading terrorist attacks that have horrified humanity.
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China's state-controlled Catholic Church has ordained  a new bishop in a move set to anger the Vatican.
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Pope John Paul II issued a new appeal for peace in Iraq and the Middle East, condemning the &quot;horror&quot; of violence as well as &quot;the terrorism that cruelly targets the innocent&quot;.