At his midday audience on Sunday, August 31, Pope Benedict XVI urged international leaders to address the "emergency" of illegal immigration.

This Sunday, September 7, the Holy Father Benedict XVI will make a pastoral visit to Cagliari.

The bishop who has headed the Catholic church's Sacramento Diocese for nearly 15 years is announcing plans to retire.

Pope Benedict today called for an effective political solution to deal with the human problems of illegal immigration from Africa to Europe.

Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt met with Pope Benedict XVI on Monday at a papal summer residence near Rome.

Betancourt, who was released July 2, had expressed a desire to meet with the pontiff. The former presidential candidate in Colombia credited her religious faith with helping her survive more than six years of captivity in the Colombian jungle at the hands of leftist rebels known as FARC.

The ANSA news agency said Betancourt was accompanied by her mother as she arrived at the Castel Gandolfo retreat for her audience with the pope. It said the meeting lasted about 20 minutes.

For Catholics in Northeastern Wisconsin, a new era begins today. And because members of the faith are so numerous here, today's events are likely to have a wide-ranging impact.