The pope's visit to the Holy Land adds another public relations disaster to an already numerable string that already exists. Why is this?

Speech

Relations between the Vatican and Israel are a complex combination of diplomacy mixed with interfaith discussion.

Letter

This op-ed is about Jewish-Christian dialogue, especially the dialogue with the Catholic Church.

Michael Gerson disagrees with the lifting of a Holocaust-denying bishop's excommunication by the Catholic Church. The Vatican's mistake, he explains, will face high stakes and scandal.

Speech

Speech

Pope Benedict’s first U.S. visit has focused on revitalizing the U.S. Catholic Church. He is also addressing religious freedom.

U.S.-Vatican relations remain uneven following Joseph Ratzinger's accession as Pope Benedict XVI, particularly as the Obama administration pursues a more liberal social agenda.

Timothy Samuel Shah, a scholar on religious issues, says that when Pope Benedict XVI makes his first visit to the United States as pope, it will give Americans their first chance to hear firsthand his views on Iraq, the environment, and immigration.

The Vatican’s sale of centuries-old documents detailing the demise of the Knights Templar comes alongside broader public policy initiatives of the Holy See.

Sebastian Mallaby, director of CFR’s Center for Geoeconomic Studies, says the skewed governing securities ratings agencies is partly to blame for stock market turmoil.

The pope infuriated Muslims worldwide with remarks suggesting Islam lacked a basis in "reason." On Sunday he offered a rare apology, but some Islamic groups are skeptical and protests continue in several Muslim countries.

Pope Benedict XVI's first year has been quiet and at times confusing to his critics. But experts caution against reading too much of a theological shift into the pope's tranquil beginnings.

Pope Benedict XVI has requested a report on the use of condoms in cases involving HIV. The issue divides church traditionalists and pragmatists, and could signify the first major crossroads of Benedict's papacy.