Pope Benedict XVI accomplished the impossible yesterday: his farewell speech pleased both Israelis and Palestinians. 

Pope Benedict XVI ended a politically charged visit to Israel and the West Bank on Friday with new condemnations of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial and his strongest appeal yet for the creation of a Palestinian state.

Benedict’s farewell remarks from the tarmac at Tel Aviv’s airport pleased both Israelis and Palestinians, many of whom had initially viewed him with skepticism. Some said later they felt vindication from portions of his carefully worded statements and a measure of respect for his moral authority.

Not everybody was pleased, however:| MORE ›

Pope Benedict held an open-air mass in the Arab country of Jordan today. A massive crowd listened to him.

Thousands of Jordanians have joined Pope Benedict XVI for an open-air Mass in a football stadium, on the third day of his Middle East tour.

The crowd, in the capital Amman, included hundreds of children waving flags of Jordan and the Vatican.| MORE ›

The Associated Press reports that the Vatican has announced it has ordered an investigation the of the Legionaries of Christ religious order. This order is highly influential and religiously consider, but was dealt a massive blow recently after it admitted that its founder had fathered a child and molested seminarians.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the No.| MORE ›

Hot Air notices the publication of a poll showing that 67% of Catholics approve of the job President Obama is currently doing. The conservative blog’s AllahPundit argues that this once again shows that many Catholics do not adhere to the Church’s basic teachings. Catholic readers of HA respond angrily to the poll, arguing that these ‘Catholics’ who approve of Obama are not Catholics at all.| MORE ›

Who said miracles don’t exist? Liberal newspaper NRC Handelsblad published an article today in which it praises the Pope for his take on the AIDS problem in Africa. The headline: “factually, the Pope is right.”

The rest of the article explains that the Pope is right when he says that not the condom but monogamy will help Africa fight AIDS.| MORE ›