Pope emeritus Benedict XVI will "probably" return to the Vatican on Thursday, a spokesman for the Holy See said, two months after the German pontiff's resignation stunned the world. For the first time in history, a retired pope and a serving pope will both be resident in Vatican City, the world's smallest state. Benedict will move into the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, a two-storey brick building on a hilltop inside Vatican walls overlooking St Peter's that has been renovated especially for the former pope.

Pope Francis has backed a doctrinal report drawn up under his predecessor Benedict XVI that accused the largest group of nuns in the United States of holding "radical feminist" views, the Vatican said in a statement on Monday. The new pope has "reaffirmed the findings of the assessment and the program of reform" for the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), which represents around 45,000 US nuns and is known for its social work, the Vatican said.

Pope Francis on Sunday completed his installation as pontiff at an emotional ceremony in which he formally took possession of Rome's St John Lateran basilica -- the official seat of the city's bishop. The pope was driven around the square in front of the basilica in an open-topped car with a crowd of thousands chanting "Long live the pope!" and one group holding up a banner reading: "We Love You!"

Pope Francis prayed for a "political solution" in Syria and for "reconciliation" on the Korean peninsula in his first Easter Sunday message in front of a crowd in St Peter's Square. Latin America's first pontiff also issued an appeal for hostages held by militants in Nigeria and condemned human trafficking as "the most extensive form of slavery in this 21st century". The pope delivered his "Urbi et Orbi" blessing to Rome and the world from the same balcony of St Peter's Basilica where he made his first appearance after his momentous election to the papacy on March 13.