The bishops insisted it is not proper to speak of "permission to receive the sacraments" when it is, in fact, an invitation to "a process of discernment accompanied by a priest."

Every day, Agnes Imdieke lit a candle and prayed for the safe return of Jacob Wetterling.

Monitoring groups and state media reported clashes up until the final minutes, and the most powerful rebel groups having yet to commit to the truce.

Sixteen-year-old Giuseppe Chiolo had come to the Vatican by ambulance from Florence.

"People—sure they need firefighters, sure they need police. But we bring our faith and our compassion and our care and our community to help people.”

With age comes finding greater challenges in the Gospels, Pope Benedict XVI says.