London, July 11:  Pope Benedict XVI has turned down the invitation to meet Prince Charles on his first state visit to Britain in September, claiming he is "too busy", a media report said Sunday.

The two men will not get together even though Prince Charles will be in Scotland when the Pontiff starts his three-day trip by calling on the Queen and Prince Philip at Holyrood House in Edinburgh, the Mail Online reported.

The government has announced that the cost of the Pope’s visit to UK could cost around 12 million euros to the taxpayers.

The cost has risen up to 4 million euros more than that of the estimated figure earlier.

A government official has said that the bill for the trip does not include the policing costs of the government otherwise it will exceed that figure.

The main event to be held has been moved to a smaller venue out of Birmingham from the Coventry airport.

Pope Benedict XVI, in a rare rebuke of a sovereign nation, criticized Belgium for a raid on church property by police investigating alleged sex abuse by clerics.

The New York Times reported on Sunday that the pontiff stressed the Catholic Church's "autonomy" to conduct its own investigations while characterizing last week's raid by Belgian police searching for documents as "surprising and deplorable."

The Vatican also said that Pope Benedict XVI has named a Boston cardinal to assist the Archdiocese of Dublin in Ireland, mired in a sexual abuse crisis.

The Boston Globe reported on Monday that Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley will remain archbishop of Boston but assume new duties as "apostolic visitor" to the Dublin archdiocese.

Ireland's Catholic Church has been under fire following accusations of multiple abuse cases in church-connected institutions in the country.

According to a published report, Pope Benedict XVI may cancel a planned visit to Britain after a memo by government workers mocked him and criticized the Catholic Church.

The memo prompted the pope to consider scuttling the trip, scheduled for Sept. 16-19, the Daily Telegraph and The Times of London Online cited Vatican sources saying.

The office has said that the memo, titled "The Ideal Visit," was written by junior Foreign Office workers after a brainstorming session on ways to welcome the pontiff.

The diocese said on Thursday that the bishop of Augsburg, Germany, accused of thrashing orphans with a carpet beater, wrote to Pope Benedict XVI offering to resign.

The diocese also said that Walter Mixa, 68, told the pope in his letter that his diocese needed a "new start."

He would also resign as bishop of the German armed forces, he said.

According to some media reports, a Catholic priest in Massachusetts has used his pulpit to call for Pope Benedict XVI to step down.

The Boston Globe reported on Monday that the Rev. James Scahill of St. Michael's Parish in East Longmeadow said during his sermon Sunday the pontiff has not been truthful about the sex abuse scandal that has rocked the church in the past several years. Scahill called for more protection of children and greater accountability by the church hierarchy.

The Archbishop of San Antonio was named to take over the archdiocese of Los Angeles by Pope Benedict XVI, when Cardinal Roger Mahoney retires.

The Los Angeles Times has reported that Jose Gomez is to take over the Los Angeles archdiocese in February, when Mahoney reaches the mandatory retirement age of 75.

The Times further informed that Gomez has been the archbishop of San Antonio for five years. He is a member of Opus Dei, a controversial, conservative order,.

He would not be "intimidated" by criticisms of the Vatican over its handling a clerical sex abuse, Pope Benedict XVI said in a Palm Sunday mass.

London, March 21 : The Pope''s historic apology has failed to comfort the victims of sex abuse by Catholic priests in Ireland.

Pope Benedict XVI, in an unprecedented papal decree, apologised following a string of shocking revelations claiming senior bishops in Ireland had been involved in covering up the crimes relating to the mistreatment of children.

He acknowledged there had been cover-ups of paedophile priests and expressed his "shame and remorse" for the "sinful and criminal acts", The Telegraph reported.

Rome, Jan 7 : Pope Benedict XVI called Turkey a "bridge between Islam and the West," during a discussion with the new Turkish ambassador to the Vatican Thursday.

But the pontiff also said the Catholic Church should receive a recognised legal status in the country.

Such a status would help the Church to "enjoy complete freedom of religion and help to build up (Turkey's) society," Benedict told Ambassador Kenan Gursoy.

Nevada (US), Dec 30 : Hindus have applauded Pope Benedict XVI''s proposed historic visit to Great Synagogue of Rome on January 17, calling it a "step in the right direction".

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, commenting on the proposed visit, said that it was wonderful to watch the world''s two major religions coming together and opening a new chapter of understanding.

London, Dec. 26 : Vatican security arrangements have come under fire after Pope Benedict XVI was toppled during the Christmas Eve mass by a woman who had attempted a similar attack last year.

Susanna Maiolo, a Swiss-Italian national with psychiatric problems, jumped the barricade at the start of the service mass in St Peter''s Basilica and was able to push past security guards to reach the Pope, knocking him down in a chaotic papal mishap.

New York, Dec. 26 : Just hours after forgiving the woman who attacked him, Pope Benedict XVI appealed people to "abandon all logic of violence and revenge" and lead with "generosity" on "the path of peaceful coexistence."

Nevada (US), Dec 22 : Hindus have applauded Pope Benedict for connecting environmental protection with peace promotion in his message for the celebration of World Day of Peace, which falls on January one.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, commended His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for his powerful stand on environmental issues and for his statement: “The environment must be seen as God’s gift to all people, and the use we make of it entails a shared responsibility for all humanity, especially the poor and future generations”.

Vatican City, Dec 15 : Pope Benedict XVI has delivered a strong new call for mankind to safeguard the environment, in his message for the Catholic Church's World Day of Peace which falls Jan 1.

The message titled: "If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation," was issued by the Vatican on Tuesday, and comes as world leaders are participating in a summit on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Vatican City, Dec 15 - Pope Benedict XVI has sent a telegram to Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi deploring the violent attack against the premier, the Vatican daily Osservatore Romano reported Tuesday.

Berlusconi, 73, is in hospital in the northern city of Milan after he was struck in the face at a political rally Sunday by a man believed to have psychiatric problems.

Rome, Dec 8 - Pope Benedict XVI will hold this year's Christmas Eve midnight mass at St Peter's basilica two hours earlier, the Vatican has announced.

"This is in order not to tire His Holiness," said the Vatican's Office of Papal Liturgical Celebrations, quoted by Italian media Monday.

It is the first time the world-famous Christmas midnight mass has been brought forward, the Vatican confirmed.

The service will begin at 10 p. m. and finish by midnight.

During the papacy of Benedict's predecessor John Paul II, the traditional midnight Easter Vigil was on several occasions brought forward, the Vatican said.

London, Nov 11 : An album featuring Pope Benedict XVI, reciting and singing prayers and litanies, was launched yesterday.

The album titled ‘Music from the Vatican’ features the Pope reciting and singing prayers and litanies in five languages, including Latin, Italian and his mother tongue, German.

It has been produced by Geffen Records, which in the past has signed Nirvana, Guns ''N Roses, The Cure and Mary J Blige.

Vatican City  - The Vatican began talks Monday with representatives of the rebel ultra-traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), nine months after Pope Benedict XVI's controversially pardoned four of the group's bishops, including one who is a Holocaust-denier.

The talks will attempt to solve doctrinal disputes that stem from the SSPX's rejection of moves modernizing the Catholic church introduced through the so-called Second Vatican Council reform process of the 1960s.