| Pope Francis latest victim of Catalan caganer tradition Posted: 15 Nov 2013 12:55 PM PST  Barcelona (AFP) - Pope Francis was caught with his chasuble rolled up at the waist in the latest batch of Spain's "caganers", holiday season figurines which depict bare-bottom celebrities defecating.
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| Pope out with cold, cancels morning audiences Posted: 15 Nov 2013 08:13 AM PST  VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis canceled his morning audiences Friday because of a cold, the first time the industrious pope is known to have slowed his busy schedule due to illness.
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| Pope Francis cancels audiences due to illness Posted: 15 Nov 2013 05:34 AM PST  VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis canceled several audiences on Friday due to flu, the first time his health has affected his role as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics. The 76-year-old's wellbeing is under close scrutiny because of the shock February resignation of his predecessor Benedict, who said his health was declining and a stronger man could do the job better. A Vatican spokesman said Francis had canceled several meetings with cardinals and bishops on Friday morning, but would still take part in the ordination of a bishop in the afternoon. ...
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| Mafia targeting the pope? Vatican says no cause for alarm Posted: 15 Nov 2013 05:24 AM PST  The Vatican has downplayed a warning that Pope Francis could be targeted by the mafia because of his reforms to Holy See financial bodies. "There is no reason for concern, and there is no need to feed alarmism," Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said. He added that the Vatican -- and, by extension, the pope -- was "extremely calm" regarding the alleged threat. The warning was voiced by Nicola Gratteri, a respected state prosecutor in the southern Calabria region, who said the vicious local mafia, the 'Ndrangheta, is "nervous" the pope is threatening its interests.
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| Is Pope Francis on the Mafia's hit list? Posted: 14 Nov 2013 10:30 PM PST  Pope Francis has annoyed a lot of people during his eight months in the Vatican. Conservative Catholics have questioned his commitment to doctrine. Sarah Palin has blasted him as a liberal. Nicola Gratteri — an Italian prosecutor who has battled southern Italy's shadowy 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate — told the Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano that Francis's crackdown on church corruption has made mobsters "nervous and agitated."
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