Pope's bodyguards at the Vatican have overpowered a man who jumped a road barrier and tried to get into Pope Benedict XVI's popemobile, Wednesday.

Pope Benedict XVI departs on his first pilgrimage to Latin America a test of the 80-year-old pontiff's stamina and how he intends to deal with pressing challenges to his church in the region.

Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has met Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. Khatami is one of the most senior Muslim clerics to visit the Roman Catholic pontiff since the pope made remarks last year that appeared to link Islam with violence.

Roman Catholic bishops will discuss the ways of fighting anti-Semitism next year in Vatican. An entire section of a preparatory document released by the Vatican on Friday is devoted to the Church's relationship with Jews, noting the "close associations of the two in faith" and calling for efforts "to overcome every form of anti-Semitism."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Pope Benedict XVI has accepted his invitation to visit the United Nations. During a meeting with the pope at the Vatican last week, Ban said he invited the pontiff to visit the United Nations "at a mutually convenient time."

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his 80th birthday, Monday, lunching with cardinals and attending a concert at the Vatican. Two years after his election to the papacy, many observers have begun to assess his style, which appears very different from his predecessor. From Rome, Sabina Castelfranco takes a look at Benedict's two years as pope and who he was before being elected.

The faithful worldwide is invited to join the prayerful thanks to God with Pope Benedict XVI who will mark his 80th birthday with Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square. His birthday is actually on April 16, the day after Sunday, and three days ahead of the second anniversary of his election as pontiff to succeed the late John Paul II.

Homily of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, Holy Saturday, Easter Vigil at St. Peter's Cathedral at the Vatican.

The Vatican Secretary of State in an interview with the French magazine "Le Figaro," has complained about media distortion of Vatican statements. "We face a serious problem," Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone told Le Figaro.