Rome

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UN Chief Urges 50% Boost in Food Production

Ban warns of further riots, starvation if high prices aren't contained

(Newser) - UN chief Ban Ki-Moon today called for a 50% rise in world food production by 2030 to fight starvation and civil unrest as the population grows. He spoke at the World Food Security conference in Rome, where world leaders are working to address the highest commodity prices in decades. Such...

Vatican Mulls the Case for St. John Paul II

Even a beloved pope has to wait to see if he's sainthood material

(Newser) - He may have served as the spiritual leader for millions of Catholics for more than 26 years, but the soul of Pope John II is under intense scrutiny in Rome. The Washington Post takes a look at the office charged with determining whether the beloved pontiff is eligible for sainthood—...

Vatican Opens Ancient Pagan Tomb
Vatican Opens Ancient
Pagan Tomb
May 28, 2008 12:11 PM CDT

Vatican Opens Ancient Pagan Tomb

After a year of restoration, public sees necropolis gem

(Newser) - After a year of restoration work, the Vatican has unveiled one of the most luxurious pagan tombs buried in the necropolis beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, the AP reports. Built by Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the second century, the once open-air tomb was buried by Emperor Constantine in the fourth...

Drugged California Tourist Killed by Train in Rome

Traveler stumbled onto track after cappuccino spiked by thief

(Newser) - An elderly American tourist drugged by a thief was killed by a train as he wandered along the tracks in a daze, the Los Angeles Times reports. The 76-year-old traveler and his wife were befriended by a man who gave them drug-laced cappuccinos in a Rome train station and then...

Rome's New Mayor Vows to Raze Renowned Museum

'Post-Fascist' Alemanno wants to destroy Meier building

(Newser) - Only a few days into his mandate, Rome's new right-wing mayor has sworn to dismantle a state-of-the-art museum designed by American architect Richard Meier, reports the Times of London. Gianni Alemanno called the Ara Pacis museum, built 2 years ago to house a peace altar from the Augustan period, "...

'Post-Fascist' Elected Mayor of Rome

Italian capital shifts right for first time in more than 60 years

(Newser) - After decades of center-left rule, the city of Rome elected a rightwinger with a past in a neo-Fascist group as mayor yesterday. Gianni Alemanno, whose party calls itself "post-Fascist," won a runoff election for control of the Italian capital, handily beating the country's outgoing deputy prime minister. Alemanno...

Pope Hails Easter Conversions
 Pope Hails Easter Conversions 
Mar 23, 2008 1:27 PM CDT

Pope Hails Easter Conversions

Benedict XVI demands end to conflicts in Tibet, Middle East

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Easter Mass today, hailing the miracle of conversion, "which renews itself even today" before a rain-soaked crowd in St. Peter's Square and calling for an end to hostilities in "Darfur and Somalia, the tormented Middle East, especially the Holy Land, Iraq, Lebanon, and Tibet....

Pope Knocks China on Good Friday

Catholic leader reflects on Church's 'dark hour of persecution'

(Newser) - Pope Benedict took aim at China's lack of religious freedom at a Good Friday procession in Rome today, Reuters reports. "In many parts of the world, (the Church) is undergoing the dark hour of persecution," the Pope said, using words penned by a cardinal who has blasted China's...

Berlusconi Calls Rival an Obama Copycat

He ridicules the self-drawn comparisons

(Newser) - Silvio Berlusconi is calling his election opponent a Barack Obama copycat–and not in a good way. To keep his 7-point lead in the polls, Italy's former leader has distributed a package to his People of Freedom (PDL) candidates on how to bash Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni in the media....

Vatican Goes to Confessional in an Art Museum

Church reveals Inquisition artifacts

(Newser) - Sure, thousands of accused witches and blasphemers were burned and tortured during the Roman Catholic Church’s centuries-long Inquisition in the Middle Ages—but, with the help of a new art exhibition, the Vatican hopes to show that it wasn't so bad after all, Newsweek reports. The “Rare and...

Italians Fuss Over Airline Takeover
Italians Fuss Over Airline Takeover
Dec 23, 2007 2:20 PM CST

Italians Fuss Over Airline Takeover

Lobbyists take nationalist stance against deal with Air France-KLM

(Newser) - News that Italy's national airline, Alitalia, is in danger of being taken over by Air France-KLM, the world's biggest airline by revenue, has sparked outrage among Italian interests who fear their local carrier will be stripped of major routes. The government promises to decide Alitalia's fate by mid-January, as politicians...

Pope Rips Christmas Materialism
Pope Rips Christmas Materialism
Dec 9, 2007 12:36 PM CST

Pope Rips Christmas Materialism

Continues Vatican battle against rampant consumerism

(Newser) - Continuing the Vatican's battle against rampant consumerism on the occasion of Jesus' birthday, Pope Benedict XVI today blasted a pervasive "materialistic mentality" in "the way of living out and perceiving Christmas." The pontiff urged pilgrims gathered below his window on St. Peter's Square instead to "fill...

Italian Soccer Fans Riot After Shooting

Cops call shooting "tragic error" after mob attacks police barracks

(Newser) - The police shooting of an Italian soccer fan sparked riots and police clashes across the country today, the BBC reports. Hundreds in Rome torched a bus, smashed cop cars, and attacked a police barracks. In Milan, one game was stopped when angry fans tried to storm the field; more violence...

Yank Changes Story in UK Roomie's Death

Suspect wasn't, was, wasn't home at time of assault, murder

(Newser) - The American flatmate of a murdered UK student has reversed her story a second time, telling Italian police that she wasn't home at the time of Meredith Kercher's death, the Guardian reports. Kercher's body, meanwhile, was flown home despite a move by lawyers for the suspects—Seattle native Amanda Knox,...

Laity, Clergy Asked to Defray Sex Abuse Costs

San Diego bishop draws support from pulpit, less backing from pews

(Newser) - The San Diego Diocese is turning over every stone to pay its $198.1 million settlement to sexual abuse victims, asking both priests and parishioners to chip in. Clerics are apparently willing—many will donate a month’s salary—but parishioner responses are far less positive, the LA Times reports....

Ancient Israeli Tunnel Found
Ancient Israeli Tunnel Found
Sep 11, 2007 2:37 PM CDT

Ancient Israeli Tunnel Found

Israeli archaeologists uncover tunnel Jews used to escape ancient Romans

(Newser) - While searching for the ancient main road of Jerusalem, Israeli archaeologists stumbled upon a 2,000-year-old tunnel that residents used to escape Roman invaders destroying the Second Temple. The tunnel was originally used to drain rain water and prevent flooding, and its discovery is doubly significant, the AP reports, because...

GAO Warns of Decline & Fall .... of America

US problems are the same that destroyed Roman Empire, chief declares

(Newser) - America's dire state resembles that of the Rome just before its fall, the head of the General Accountability Office has warned in a grim new report. "Declining moral values and political civility at home, an over-confident and over-extended military, and fiscal irresponsibility," could lead to disaster here at...

Heaven Can Wait, and So Must Research

Scholars chafe at temporary closing of Vatican Library

(Newser) - Despite rumblings from anxious researchers, the Vatican Library has closed its doors for at least 3 years to undergo renovations after an inspection this year revealed that the structure couldn’t support the weight of its books. Reading rooms were unusually full last week, the BBC reports, as researchers got...

Italy Acquits Five in "God's Banker" Murder

Judge cites insufficient evidence in 25-year-old mafia hanging

(Newser) - A judge in Rome exonerated five suspects on trial for the 1982 murder of Roberto Calvi, citing a lack of evidence. Calvi—known as "God's banker" for his closeness to the Vatican— was found hanged under Blackfriars Bridge in London in a presumed suicide. Newly discovered forensic evidence led...

Man Tries to Hitch a Ride on Popemobile

German vaults barrier in St. Peter's Square, approaches pontiff's car

(Newser) - A German man made a leap of faith in St. Peter's Square in Rome today, apparently attempting to board Pope Benedict's Jeep. A Vatican spokesman said the 27-year-old was trying to "draw attention to himself" when he dove over a barricade toward the slow-moving Popemobile; the man was immediately...

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