VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican is confirming that Pope Benedict XVI will travel to Lebanon in September to encourage his flock in the Middle East. It said Sunday the Sept. 14-16 pilgrimage will see the pontiff celebrate Mass in Beirut. He will also attend a youth gathering and meetings with Lebanese authorities. There have been concerns about the health of the pontiff, who turns 85 on April 16. The confirmation of the Lebanon trip, which the Vatican had said... Read more

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI is celebrating Easter Sunday Mass in sun-drenched, flower-adorned St. Peter’s Square, before tens of thousands of people. Benedict sounded hoarse and looked tired at the start of the Mass at an altar set up on the steps outside St. Peter’s Basilica. Late Saturday night, the pope held up well as he presided over a three-hour long Easter vigil service inside the church. Easter is Christianity’s most joyous day. Faithful celebrate their belief that... Read more

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — A car bomb exploded along a busy roadway Sunday morning in a central Nigeria city, killing at least 38 people in the latest attack on a region beset by religious, ethnic and political violence, an official said. The blast struck Kaduna, the capital of Kaduna state, leaving charred motorcycles and debris strewn across a major road in the city where many gather to eat at informal restaurants and buy black market gasoline. Nearby hotels had their... Read more

MOUNT PAEKTU, North Korea (AP) — As the snow drifts through the towering evergreen trees, silence enshrouds this remote pilgrimage site, a place some here consider the Bethlehem of North Korea. It was in a rustic log cabin at the foot of Mt. Paektu where Kim Il Sung, the founder of modern North Korea, led the fight for his country’s independence from Japanese imperialism more than 70 years ago, according to state-sanctioned accounts. Nearby is the lodge where his son... Read more

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI implored the Syrian regime Sunday to heed international demands to end the bloodshed and voiced hope that the joy of Easter would comfort Christians suffering because of their faith. Benedict, struggling with hoarseness and looking tired, celebrated Mass on Christianity’s most joyous holy day on the flower-adorned steps of St. Peter’s Basilica, before a crowd of faithful that swelled to far over 100,000 by the end of the two-hour-long ceremony. Only hours earlier... Read more

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI in his Easter Sunday message has urged the Syrian regime to heed international calls to end bloodshed and commit to dialogue. After celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Square, Benedict voiced hope that Easter’s joy would comfort Christian communities suffering because of their faith. He denounced terrorist attacks in Nigeria that have hit Christians and Muslims alike and prayed for peace in coup-struck Mali. The pope struggled with hoarseness throughout the Mass before a... Read more

JERUSALEM (AP) — Thousands of Christians are celebrating Easter Mass in Jerusalem in an array of processions and prayer sessions. In the ancient Church of the Holy Sepulcher, clergymen in flowing white and gold robes celebrated Mass, the air fragrant with incense. Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, in the church on a private visit, joined the masses of Christian faithful. He shook hands with pilgrims and spoke to monks in the Old City. Just outside the ancient city’s walls, about... Read more

NEW DELHI (AP) — Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari was scheduled to visit India on a private trip Sunday that also gives him a chance to meet Indian leaders amid a thaw in relations between the two South Asian rivals. Zardari’s visit, the first by a Pakistani head of state in seven years, is the most visible sign that the two countries have put behind them the enmity that followed the 2008 terror attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai.... Read more

JERUSALEM (AP) — Thousands of Christians gathered near Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher for Holy Saturday and marched in processions brimming with tradition, taking turns to pray in the site where they believe Jesus was slain and buried. Holy Saturday is a day of reflection and waiting for many Christians, who believe Jesus was crucified on Friday and rose from the dead on Sunday. “This day is very important for us. It’s the waiting for the great celebration of... Read more

Students from a strict Mormon college that prohibits “homosexual behavior” have launched a web video aimed at reassuring other gay and lesbian youth struggling with their faith and sexual orientation. The video recently posted to YouTube by 22 Brigham Young University students is the first of its kind with ties to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which forbids gay sex and marriage. By posting the video, the students could face excommunication from the church and expulsion from... Read more