Pope Francis' traditional Christmas Eve mass will be held two hours earlier than normal to abide by Italy's
coronavirus curfew, the Vatican revealed on Thursday.
Italian police in Spoleto said on Friday they had found the presumed thief who stole a church relic containing the blood of the late Pope John Paul II.
The Vatican on Monday reminded priests they should not be charging fixed prices for celebrating weddings and funerals - a common practice in parts of Italy.
Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican reopened to visitors on Monday after being closed for over two months under Italy's lockdown orders to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Mass, baptisms, weddings and funerals in Italian churches will be reinstated from May 18th, provided those attending abide by a set of anti-coronavirus rules, the Italian government said on Thursday.
French prosecutors said Friday they had asked the Vatican to lift the diplomatic immunity of its envoy to France who is
under investigation for alleged sexual assault.
UPDATED: Pope Francis on Sunday compared the sexual abuse of children to human sacrifice as he addressed the Catholic Church's top bishops at the end of a landmark summit to tackle paedophilia.
A top Catholic cardinal admitted on Saturday that Church files on priests who sexually abused children were destroyed or never even drawn up, a move which allowed paedophiles to prey on others.
Pope Francis said Saturday that silence on sexual abuse can "no longer be tolerated" as he ordered an investigation into Vatican archives concerning former archbishop of Washington Theodore McCarrick, who resigned in July.
The roof of San Giuseppe dei Falegnami, a historic church built on the remains on an ancient prison on Rome's Capitoline Hill, caved in suddenly on Thursday, causing severe damage but no injuries.
Italian police are investigating after €36,000 in cash was found inside the confession booth of the Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci church in Rome.
Pope Francis said in an interview published on Thursday that the church may consider ordaining married men who could potentially then work in remote areas faced with a shortage of priests.
An earthquake measuring 3.8 magnitude hit the central Italian town of Amatrice on Sunday morning, causing further collapses in the town's historic centre.
Pope Francis on Wednesday denounced killing in God's name as "satanic" as he held a mass in Rome to honour Jacques Hamel, the French priest whose throat was slit by jihadists in July.
Pope Francis on Monday announced plans for a worldwide day of prayer for the victims of sexual abuse, in line with a proposal from his child protection panel.
The Bishop of Mallorca has been removed from his post by the Vatican after complaints that he had conducted an "improper relationship" with his married secretary.
Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed a
special commission to study the possibility of women becoming deacons in a potentially historic opening on a vexed issue for the Catholic Church.
An ancient Roman bath-house and series of tombs have been unearthed during an attempt to build a new Orthodox church in a working-class suburb of Rome.
A church's alleged refusal to allow a 10-year-old autistic child to take Holy Communion became a national case on Monday after Italy's Education Undersecretary waded into the debate.
A controversial Italian priest awaiting a criminal trial for sex abuse of minors has agreed to pay €125,000 in compensation to the families of five of his alleged victims, Italian media
reported on Thursday.
