They were ordained and installed with the twofold approval of the Church of Rome and of the communist authorities. Optimism at the Vatican. But also caution. For Chinese Catholics, religious freedom remains a forbidden dream

The patriarchs of Moscow and Constantinople threatened a complete break with Rome in 2003. The pretext was Ukraine. But at the Vatican, Kasper and Ratzinger defused the danger. Here's how

The complete text of the new norms, together with an historical contextualization of the 2001 motu proprio "Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela," of which they are an updated application. Everything introduced and explained by the director of the Vatican press office

They are pleading with the pope to condemn "ex cathedra" the errors of Vatican Council II. A new book by Romano Amerio is giving new force to their request. But Benedict XVI doesn't agree

Penance, forgiveness, and new evangelization. Like in the Jubilee of 2000, and more so. A surprising comparison. With an interview with Cardinal Ruini

In Belgium they searched the tombs of the bishops, in the United States they're summoning the pope for trial. A transformation of legal culture and court practice is on the horizon. The analysis of Professor Pietro De Marco

Schönborn against Sodano, Sepe against Bertone. The serious case of the archbishop of Vienna. Benedict XVI chastises, makes peace, and takes the long view. Including with three appointments to three key posts in the curia

Over there Russian Orthodoxy has its cornerstone. And over there, there is the most numerous Eastern Catholic population. With John Paul II the two Churches were at loggerheads. With Benedict XVI the turning point. But peace is still far away

It was called for by pope Ratzinger, by the name of "court of the gentiles." It will be inaugurated by his minister for culture, Archbishop Ravasi. It will be a place for dialogue with those far from God, the first act of a wider project of new evangelization

The old communities are becoming few and far between. But from Asia and Africa millions of new faithful are coming, mainly, to the Gulf and Saudi Arabia. Where, however, religious freedom is still a myth

It is the sign, he says, that God exists and that one allows himself to be seized by passion for him. This makes it a great scandal, and the desire is to eliminate it. The complete transcript of Benedict XVI's latest statement on this issue. And of a surprising preview of it, from 2006

A tally of twelve months under constant fire. What the pope wanted, and what happened instead, with the explosion of the scandal of pedophilia. In the concluding homily, Joseph Ratzinger teaches Catholic priests how to walk towards the light in the "dark valley"

In Cyprus, the pope saw up close the drama of the Christians of the East. Ecumenism is flourishing, but where Islam reigns there is no freedom of conscience or religion. The latest victim is Bishop Luigi Padovese, decapitated like Saint John

We all deserve it because of our sins, he explains. But thanks to Jesus, the innocent lamb, it has become the hope of the world, the definitive victory over all evil. The homily of the evening of Saturday, June 5, in Nicosia

Those who dialogue with them risk the accusation of betraying Vatican Council II. The pope tries, and is criticized by a German theologian. But in the meantime, many traditionalist groups have already made their peace with Rome

Cardinal Schönborn proposes "rethinking" this obligation for the Catholic clergy. And so do other bishops. Benedict XVI, however, wants to strengthen it. In support he has the whole history of the Church, since the time of the apostles

The common objective: the "new evangelization" of Europe. A delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church visits the Vatican, which publishes an anthology of the patriarch's writings. A meeting between Kirill and Benedict XVI keeps getting closer

A voyage to the holy mountain of the Orthodox Church. First conducted and recounted in 1997. Meaning now, this year. Because on Athos, earthly time is one and the same as the eternal today of heaven

The royal road sketched out by Benedict XVI. Schönborn and O'Malley's shots at Sodano. The roles of Bertone and Fr. Lombardi. The battle of "La Civiltà Cattolica" against the "culture of pedophilia"

In an internal memo, published here, they say they never knew anything about the double life of their founder, Maciel. But the judgment of the Vatican authorities says otherwise. The imminent appointment of the papal delegate