Cardinal Christoph Schonborn

Many parents would be delighted to have their son become pope -- not so Eleonore Schoenborn, mother of Austrian candidate Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn.

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Victims of sexual abuse by the clergy want the International Criminal Court to investigate Pope Benedict and three Vatican officials, accusing them of allowing the rape and abuse of children.

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Victims of sexual abuse by the clergy want the International Criminal Court to investigate Pope Benedict and three Vatican officials for allowing the rape and sexual abuse of children.

PARIS (Reuters) - Dissident Austrian priests defying their Catholic Church with calls for married clergy, women priests and other reforms enjoy wide public support, according to a new poll on a dispute that could lead to their dismissal.

Political leaders and European royalty paid their last respects to Otto Habsburg, the eldest son of the last Austro-Hungarian emperor, who was buried at Vienna's Imperial Crypt Saturday.

VIENNA (Reuters) - Otto Habsburg-Lothringen, the eldest son of the last Austrian emperor who became a champion of European unity, died aged 98 at his home in Germany on Monday, his family said.

VIENNA (Reuters) - A record 100,000 Austrians are expected to leave the Roman Catholic Church this year after abuse scandals which have badly damaged its image, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Vatican admonishes Austrian cardinal for his critical comments about former Vatican No. 2. The Vatican on Monday issued an unprecedented rebuke of a top cardinal who had accused the retired Vatican No. 2 of blocking clerical sex abuse investigations, publicly dressing down a man who had been praised for his criticism of church abuse cover-ups.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, still struggling to control the damage a sexual abuse scandal has done to the Catholic Church's image, on Monday bluntly told his top advisers that they should not trade accusations in public.

Panel set up by Austria's Catholic Church recommends up to euro25,000 ($30,700) for abuse victims. A panel set up by Austria's Roman Catholic Church to help victims of abuse by clergy or church officials on Friday presented a model that would award up to euro25,000 ($30,700) for those most seriously mistreated.

Critical Austrian Catholics emboldened by sex abuse scandal in quest of church reform. Historically a potent symbol of Catholicism in Europe, Austria has in recent years been known more as the center of a taboo-busting movement to liberalize the church.

Former Germany bishop accused of misconduct apologizes, agrees he was right to resign. A former German bishop accused of physical abuse, alcoholism and sexual harassment apologized for his misconduct on Wednesday and agreed to stand by his decision to resign.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Internal Catholic Church bickering over the handling of its sexual abuse scandal has escalated to a new level, with one cardinal accusing another of a cover-up.

Pope accepts resignation of German bishop accused of abusing minors. A leading German bishop who has acknowledged slapping children and is being investigated for sexual abuse of minors and financial misconduct lost his job Saturday as Pope Benedict XVI continued cleaning house.

Report: Austrian cardinal attacks former Vatican No. 2 over church abuse. Austria's cardinal has said the former second-highest Vatican official blocked a probe into a sex abuse scandal that rocked the country's Catholic church 15 years ago.

Hot lines in Europe log massive jump in calls alleging abuse by Catholic priests. Telephone hot lines in Europe offering help to people claiming abuse by Roman Catholic priests are being deluged with calls as the crisis spreads ? with one center reporting complaints jumping from about 10 cases a year to more than a thousand in the past few weeks.

VIENNA (Reuters) - The Catholic Church as a whole must accept its guilt and its collective responsibility for sexual abuse committed by its members, Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn said on Wednesday.

Pope opens solemn Holy Week amid 1 of worst church crises in decades. Pope Benedict XVI opened Holy Week on Sunday amid one of the most serious crises facing the church in decades, with protesters in London demanding he resign and calls in Switzerland for a central registry for pedophile priests.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, facing one of the gravest crises of his pontificate as a sexual abuse scandal sweeps the Church, indicated on Sunday that his faith would give him the courage not to be intimidated by critics.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, facing one of the gravest crises of his pontificate as a sexual abuse scandal sweeps the Church, indicated on Sunday that his faith would give him the courage not to be intimidated by critics.