Below is the full translation of Pope Benedict XVI’s Easter Urbi et Orbi message, courtesy of Vatican Radio.

“In resurrectione tua, Christe, coeli et terra laetentur!
In your resurrection, O Christ, let heaven and earth rejoice!” (Liturgy of the Hours).

Pope Benedict XVI delivers 'Urbi et Orbi' Message | Credit: AP

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Rome and across the world, Easter morning brings us news that is ancient yet ever new: Christ is risen! The echo of this event, which issued forth from Jerusalem twenty centuries ago, continues to resound in the Church, deep in whose heart lives the vibrant faith of Mary, Mother of Jesus, the faith of Mary Magdalene and the other women who first discovered the empty tomb, and the faith of Peter and the other Apostles.

Right down to our own time – even in these days of advanced communications technology – the faith of Christians is based on that same news, on the testimony of those sisters and brothers who saw firstly the stone that had been rolled away from the empty tomb and then the mysterious messengers who testified that Jesus, the Crucified, was risen. And then Jesus himself, the Lord and Master, living and tangible, appeared to Mary Magdalene, to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and finally to all eleven, gathered in the Upper Room (cf. Mk 16:9-14).

The resurrection of Christ is not the fruit of speculation or mystical experience: it is an event which, while it surpasses history, nevertheless happens at a precise moment in history and leaves an indelible mark upon it. The light which dazzled the guards keeping watch over Jesus’ tomb has traversed time and space. It is a different kind of light, a divine light, that has rent asunder the darkness of death and has brought to the world the splendour of God, the splendour of Truth and Goodness.

Six years ago today, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected the 265th Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, choosing the name Benedict XVI. Below, a reminder of what that day was like for Catholics around the world. Enjoy!

Credit: Reuters

Over the last week or two, the conflict gripping Libya has been in the forefront of most American and international news agencies. In the United States, the debate has surrounded whether or not President Barack Obama had the constitutional authority to commit U.S. armed forces personnel to the international response approved by the United Nations. However, I raised a more important question: is the use of military force in Libya moral?

Until this afternoon, the Holy See has been rather neutral on the conflict in Libya. The only public statements released from the Pope have been those offering prayers and solidarity with the people of the region. The Holy Father has also asked those in positions of military and political responsibilities to ensure the safety of civilians and the accessibility of humanitarian aid. However, today we see a different tone from the Vatican, one that is calling the current use of force into question.

Following the middy Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict XVI released the following statement regarding the situation in Libya:

Here is the full text of Bishop-designate Joseph McFadden‘s statement from this morning’s press conference that announced him as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg.

Praise be Jesus Christ! Now and forever. It is with these words that I greet you this morning on my appointment by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI as the 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg. I am deeply humbled by the confidence that Pope Benedict has placed in me in appointing me as the new shepherd of this particular Church. I thank Almighty God for the many blessings that He has bestowed upon me throughout the course of my life. I thank God first and foremost for the gift of life itself. I thank Him for giving me the privilege to share in the sacred priesthood of Jesus Christ for the past twenty-nine years. I thank Him for calling me to the office of Bishop in His Church and today for the opportunity to shepherd His people in the Church in Harrisburg.

I thank Pope Benedict for entrusting to me the responsibility of leading the good people of Harrisburg in their pilgrimage of faith as we journey together toward the fullness of the Kingdom of God that continues to unfold each and every day for all those who are willing to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

During today’s Mass signifying the close for the Year for Priests, as expected, Pope Benedict XVI touched on the recent outbreak of news detailing years of sexual misconduct and abuse by Catholic priests. In the homily, the Holy Father begged for God’s forgiveness  and forgiveness by those who have been affected by clerical abuse over the years. He has vowed to protect the Church from these kinds of failings in the future, by beginning with young men discerning the priesthood of Jesus Christ. “We will do everything we can to weigh the authenticity of [seminarians' vocations] and make every effort to accompany priests along their journey, so that the Lord will protect them and watch over them in troubled situations and amid life’s dangers.” Below is the full text of the Pope’s homily.

Pope Benedict arriving at the prayer vigil for the close of the Year for Priests | Source: AP

Dear Brothers in the Priestly Ministry,

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Year for Priests which we have celebrated on the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the death of the holy Curè of Ars, the model of priestly ministry in our world, is now coming to an end. We have let the Curé of Ars guide us to a renewed appreciation of the grandeur and beauty of the priestly ministry. The priest is not a mere office-holder, like those which every society needs in order to carry out certain functions. Instead, he does something which no human being can do of his own power: in Christ’s name he speaks the words which absolve us of our sins and in this way he changes, starting with God, our entire life. Over the offerings of bread and wine he speaks Christ’s words of thanksgiving, which are words of transubstantiation – words which make Christ himself present, the Risen One, his Body and Blood – words which thus transform the elements of the world, which open the world to God and unite it to him. The priesthood, then, is not simply “office” but sacrament: God makes use of us poor men in order to be, through us, present to all