Pope Benedict held the final Mass of his 4-day visit to Spain Sunday, urging some 1.5 million young people at the Roman Catholic Church’s youth festival to become active in their church and avoid trying to find faith on their own. Benedict told pilgrims from 193 nations to spread their faith even if they are […]
Storm Cuts Short Pope’s Speech in Madrid
Posted August 20th, 2011 at 7:30 pm (UTC-5)
A huge thunderstorm in Madrid Saturday night forced Pope Benedict to cut short his speech to an estimated one million young pilgrims gathered for the church’s world youth festival. The freak storm gave the outdoor prayer vigil at a Madrid airfield a dramatic climax. Firefighters checked the stage before allowing the leader of the world’s […]
Pope to Bestow Rare Honor on Spanish Saint
Posted August 20th, 2011 at 2:25 pm (UTC-5)
Pope Benedict says he will confer one of the Roman Catholic Church’s highest honors on a 16th-century Spanish saint. The leader of the world’s 1.6 billion Catholics made the surprise announcement Saturday during a visit to the Spanish capital, Madrid. The pontiff said he will declare St. John of Avila a doctor of the church. […]
Moroccan Plotted to Poison Water Supply in Spain
Posted August 20th, 2011 at 1:20 pm (UTC-5)
A Moroccan man has been sentenced to jail for plotting to poison water supplies in Spain. A Spanish judge on Saturday said Abdellatif Aoulad Chiba has sought information on Islamist websites on how to poison the water supply at campsites and tourist resorts. The judge said Chiba was a member of al-Qaida’s North African wing, […]
Pope Scolds Profit Driven Economies
Posted August 18th, 2011 at 9:45 am (UTC-5)
Pope Benedict is blaming Europe’s economic woes on economies driven solely by profit. The pope spoke to reporters on his papal plane shortly before arriving in Madrid Thursday to attend a four-day Catholic youth festival. He said economies needed to be guided by ethics and serve the common good, instead of being based on “the […]
Pope Visiting Spain as Protesters Decry Cost
Posted August 18th, 2011 at 6:15 am (UTC-5)
Pope Benedict is in Spain for a Catholic youth festival that has sparked protests because of its high cost. Spain’s king and queen greeted the pope as he arrived at the airport in the capital, Madrid, Thursday. A throng of young people waving Vatican flags also was there to welcome him. More than one million […]
Pope Visiting Spain as Protesters Decry Cost
Posted August 18th, 2011 at 5:10 am (UTC-5)
Pope Benedict begins a visit to Spain Thursday for a Catholic youth festival that has sparked protests because of its high cost. Spain’s royal family is greeting the pope at the airport in the capital, Madrid, Thursday. The pope also will meet with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, whose government has promoted several […]
Protesters in Spain Decry Cost of Papal Visit
Posted August 17th, 2011 at 10:20 pm (UTC-5)
Riot police in Madrid have clashed with demonstrators protesting the cost of Pope Benedict’s visit to Spain at the time the country is grappling with financial woes. Spanish daily newspaper El Pais reported Thursday that eight people had been arrested and 11 others hurt in the street violence. Left-leaning groups organized the protest march Wednesday […]
Spanish Police Arrest Terror Suspect
Posted August 17th, 2011 at 1:35 pm (UTC-5)
Police in Spain have arrested a suspected member of al-Qaida’s North African offshoot, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. The 37-year-old Moroccan man, Abdellatif Aoulad Chiba, was arrested Wednesday in the southern Spanish coastal town of La Linea de la Concepcion. He is suspected of running an Internet site that sought to recruit members to carry […]
Spain’s World Youth Day Celebration Brings Papal Visit and Protests
Posted August 17th, 2011 at 9:50 am (UTC-5)
The week-long faith extravaganza of World Youth Day is under way in Madrid, with more than one million young Catholics from around the world expected to pour into the city before Pope Benedict arrives on Thursday. Highlights of the celebration include a mass confession and prayer vigil in the presence of the Pope in Madrid […]
