Pope Benedict XVI to be 'Pope Emeritus'

Pope Benedict XVI will be 'Pontiff emeritus' or 'Pope emeritus' after his resignation, the Vatican has said.

The announcement was made by Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi, who said the Pope would be addressed as 'His Holiness, Benedict XVI'. He will wear a white cassock but not the cape or trademark red shoes.

More than 50,000 tickets have been requested for the Pope's final general audience in St Peter's Square tomorrow.

The Pope will travel around the square in his Popemobile and following the general audience, will go to the Clementine Hall of the Vatican Palace.

There, he will meet dignitaries, including the Presidents of Slovakia and the German region of Bavaria.

On the final day of his pontificate on Thursday, the Pope will return to the Clementine Hall to meet with cardinals.

He will then be taken to his summer residence, Castel Gandolfo, where he will be received by Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello and Bishop Giuseppe Sciacca, respectively president and secretary general of the Governorate of Vatican City State, along with Bishop Marcello Semeraro of the Diocese of Albano.

Fr Lombardi also confirmed that the College of Cardinals will meet next week to discuss a date for the conclave to elect the Pope's successor.

News
Fire severely damages historic Amsterdam church on New Year’s Day
Fire severely damages historic Amsterdam church on New Year’s Day

A major fire tore through one of Amsterdam’s best-known historic buildings in the early hours of New Year’s Day, seriously damaging the property and forcing people to leave nearby homes.

Rwanda’s president on the defensive over church closures
Rwanda’s president on the defensive over church closures

Rwandan President Paul Kagame defended the government's forced closure of Evangelical churches, accusing them of being a “den of bandits” led by deceptive relics of colonialism. 

We are the story still being written
We are the story still being written

The story of Christ continues in the lives of those who take up His calling.

Christians harassed, attacked all over India at Christmas
Christians harassed, attacked all over India at Christmas

International Christian Concern reported more than 80 incidents in India, some of them violent, over Christmas.