The Catholic Sun

Pope Benedict XVI briefly addressed the College of Cardinals, calling for unity and harmony among the men who will choose his successor and pledging his "unconditional reverence and obedience" to the next pope.

At Xavier College Preparatory, everything is for girls. Most especially those classes and clubs — like math and computer science — typically filled with...

Popes are elected by members of the College of Cardinals, not by the general Catholic population and certainly not by the media. Yet Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan's presence on practically every journalist's list of potential next popes bespeaks a real and important influence among his peers.

The world watches with interest as cardinals gather in conclave -- literally under lock and key -- to elect the next pope. The rarity of the event, the ceremony and secrecy add to the intrigue.

The Italian cardinal leading Pope Benedict XVI's Lenten retreat was tweeting and podcasting his reflections, signaling that detachment from the outside world doesn't have to mean a total media blackout.

French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, 69, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, is the "proto-deacon" of the College of Cardinals and will be the one, at the end of the conclave, who will announce to the world, "Habemus papam" ("We have a pope").

The pope's @Pontifex Twitter fans will get two more tweets before the account goes into "hibernation" during the "sede vacante" period starting when Pope Benedict XVI steps down.

Pope Benedict XVI will continue to be known as Pope Benedict and addressed as "His Holiness," but after his resignation, he will add the title "emeritus" in one of two acceptable forms, either "pope emeritus" or "Roman pontiff emeritus."

The Justice Department, in a brief filed Feb. 22 at the U.S. Supreme Court, said a federal law that defines marriage as between one man and a woman, denying financial benefits to legally wed same-sex couples, is unconstitutional.

On his last full day as pope, Pope Benedict XVI delivered an unusually personal and emotional farewell address, thanking the faithful around the world for their support and assuring them that he would remain in their service even in retirement.