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1. Pope Benedict XVI knew of abusive priests when he ran Munich archdiocese, investigators say

Pope Benedict XVI knew about priests who abused children but failed to act when he was archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1981, an inquest found Thursday, rejecting Benedict's long-standing denials in a damning judgment....

2. Man in custody escapes through jail window

A man is wanted by police after he reportedly escaped from jail in Nicosia, following his arrest on misdemeanor charges and reportedly making threats against a priest in Famagusta district...

3. First ever civil marriage of non-Muslim couple in Abu Dhabi

An Abu Dhabi court has issued a civil marriage certificate for a non-Muslim couple, for the first time in the United Arab Emirates, a Gulf country seeking a more liberal and progressive image, the Emirati news agency WAM reported....

4. Hundreds gather at GSP to attend a Papal Holy Mass (Images/Video)

Pope Francis arrived at GSP stadium to the cheers of hundreds of people who came from far and wide to attend the Holy Mass held today at 10 am....

5. The Pope has arrived in Cyprus

Pope Francis arrived in Cyprus on Thursday afternoon. The Cypriot government, through its Deputy Spokesman Niovis Parisinou, had described the Pope's visit as "an important event of international scope that is of global interest"....

6. Cyprus Police on high alert for Pope's visit

Cyprus Police are on high alert due to Pope Francis` visit on the island between 2-4 December....

7. Pope's agenda for his scheduled visit to Cyprus announced

Government Spokesman Marios Pelekanos briefed the media today on the visit of Pope Francis to Cyprus at the Presidential Palace....

8. Explosive report shows thousands of paedophiles active in the French Catholic church since 1950

An independent commission investigating child sexual abuse in the French Catholic church, headed by Jean-Marc Sauve, submitted their findings today to the president of the Bishops’ Conference of France (CEF)....

9. Treating antisocial elements for what they are

Day-to-day life in Greece is excessively determined by people defying laws, rules and reason; it’s disappointing and extremely frustrating. ...

10. Incensed anti-vaxxers

The recent anti-vaccination rallies in Athens and Thessaloniki were not the first of their kind, but they were the largest:...

11. Weekend News Roundup

Here are a few of the stories that made news in Cyprus over the weekend....

12. Girl's mom furious at predator priest’s sentence

The mother of a 14-year-old girl in Greece was furious this week after a court handed down a suspended sentence to a priest from Cyprus, with reports saying he even traveled to Larissa to meet the teen...

13. Sexual abuse complaints hit double digits

Police say over ten official complaints involving sexual abuse allegations were under investigation, as one case after the other came forward in Cyprus’ own MeToo movement...

14. Bishop vows to keep churches open

The Bishop of Morphou says he will keep churches in his diocese open to the public, contrary to the latest government measures, with the Metropolitan adding he is ready to face trial in a court of law...

15. Communion ritual unchanged in Orthodox Church despite virus

One by one, the children and adults line up for the centuries-old ritual of Holy Communion, trying to keep a proper social distance. The priest dips a spoon into the chalice of bread and wine, which the faithful believe is the body and blood of Christ, and puts it into the mouth of the first person in line....

16. Churchgoers of illegal service fiasco to face court

By Friday morning, police had managed to track down 14 of the churchgoers who had taken part in an illegal service at Ayios Georgios Spileon Monastery in Limassol’s Erimi village on Thursday, which soon turned into a fiasco as participants had locked themselves in rooms upon the sight of the police while some managed to escape....

17. Police hold church stakeout after illicit service participants refuse to come out

Police have been staking out a church in the Limassol District’s Erimi village since 9am on Thursday after finding out that a church service attended by the public was taking place, but attendants are refusing to leave the church in fear of being booked....

18. Lockdown weighs heavily on Orthodox Christians during Easter

19. Morphou bishop defies church lockdown

Morphou Bishop Neophytos spoke out against decree orders on Palm Sunday, after accusing police officers of being “rude” and praised the Bulgarian government for keeping churches open...

20. Archbishop tells believers to shelter in place

Archbishop Chrysostomos has called on believers to stay home during Orthodox Easter, saying “if we truly love God, then our mission should be to put an end to this pandemic...

21. Greek Government to proceed with new island camps, despite reactions

The Greek government is determined to move ahead with its plan to build new holding facilities for migrants and refugees as part of a plan to accelerate asylum procedures and deportations on the five islands hosting camps, its spokesman said on Tuesday, amid reactions to the scheme from island residents....

22. Cypriot priest yells at wedding guest

A video of a church wedding in Cyprus has gone viral, showing a male guest getting yelled at by the priest during the Dance of Isaiah portion of the ceremony...

23. House looks at state salaries for clergy

State salaries for the clergy are back in the news as a House finance committee is looking for ways to amend an outdated agreement with the Church dating back to 1971...

24. Russian church in the north under criticism

A Russian Orthodox Church in the north has come under criticism with the Archbishop accusing the local priest of recusancy and embassy officials reiterating Moscow’s respect to the autocephalous Church of Cyprus...

25. Trump hits China with more tariffs, sharply escalating trade dispute

U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to impose a 10% tariff on $300 billion of Chinese imports from Sept. 1, sharply escalating a bruising trade war between the world’s largest economies and jolting financial markets. ...

26. Ombudswoman weighs in on Bishop controversy

Criticism towards Bishop Neophytos is picking up steam, following his comments about homosexuality and abortion that stirred debate and prompted all sorts of reactions...

27. Cypriots celebrate Easter

Easter may be a thing from last week in some parts of the world, but it is almost the end of Holy Week in the Republic Cyprus where people get ready for Saturday midnight mass and Easter Sunday celebrations...

28. Greek Cypriots mark epiphany with rare vigil to ghost town fringe

29. Farmers turned away from buffer zone again

Turkish Cypriot officials are dismissing reports in the south that said Greek Cypriot farmers were harassed by armed soldiers in the buffer zone last week...

30. Greek Cypriot priest detained briefly in the north

Four people detained Tuesday afternoon by Turkish Cypriot authorities in connection with an alleged theft of a piece of church stone with archeological value...