The New South Wales Police Force said on Tuesday it has rejected an application from a Sydney-based gay rights group for a permit to protest outside the cathedral on Thursday due to safety concerns.

Calls for the canonization of Pope Benedict XVI follow the trend of 20th and 21st century popes, but this "santo subito" process is not as common as it may seem today.

The decision comes at a time when Cardinal Ouellet is pursuing a defamation case against a Canadian woman church worker, who had accused him of unwanted sexual touching.

A Reflection for Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, by Molly Cahill

Pope Francis will make his fourth journey to Africa on January 31. Hopes are high that Francis’ visit may kick-start the struggling peace processes in both countries.

He called for dialogue “immediately and without delay.”