L'Osservatore Romano / Vatican Pool via Getty Images
Pope Benedict XVI travels to Assisi, Italy, by train on Oct. 27. The Pontiff made a pilgrimage to the home of Saint Francis in the Italian town to attend the meeting 'Pilgrims of truth, pilgrims of peace,' a day of reflection, dialogue and prayer for peace and justice in the world.
See more images of Pope Benedict XVI in our slideshows:
Baptized by fire? More like baptized by fire hose.
Photojournalist Jim Lo Scalzo published an intriguing set of images today, exploring the renewed interest in outdoor Baptisms. Churches are moving away from the sterile sanctuaries and heading for the great outdoors, according to his report for the European Pressphoto Agency.
Lo Scalzo says: One of the American South's most symbolic religious traditions is making a comeback. Outdoor baptisms, popularized in the 18th century by African slaves, had all but disappeared by the 1950s with the rise of indoor baptismal pools. Yet an increasing number of Baptist churches are forsaking the convenience and safety of these pools for nearby rivers, lakes, oceans and even fire hoses. “It's a re-discovery,” says Gregory Hughes, Pastor of True Life Ministries, which holds an annual ocean baptism in St. Simon’s Island, Ga. “It's a way to embrace tradition while renewing our spirit.”
Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA
Members of the United House of Prayer For All People are baptized by fire hose, a church tradition since 1926, at the end of the church's annual convocation in Baltimore, Md., on Aug. 22, 2010.
Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA
Christian youths attending an annual beach gathering called “A Closer Walk,” are baptized in the Atlantic Ocean in Wildwood, N.J. on July 22, 2011.
Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA
Members of True Life Ministries, a Baptist church near Atlanta, are baptized in the Atlantic Ocean during an event they called 'Baptism 2011: The Year of Rededication' at St. Simon's Island, Ga., on June 18, 2011.
Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA
A teenage visitor to The Ramp, a non-denominational ministry popular with Christian youths, goes into a trance-like state, weeping and speaking in tongues after being baptized in a pond during one of The Ramp's bi-monthly summer gatherings in Hamilton, Ala., on July 30, 2011.
Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA
The First Baptist Church of Richmond, Virginia, holds its '2nd Annual River Baptism' in the James River in Henrico, Va., on Aug. 9, 2010.
Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA
Two teenage visitors to The Ramp, a non-denominational ministry popular with Christian youths, weep and speak in tongues after being baptized in a pond during one of The Ramp's bi-monthly summer 'gatherings' in Hamilton, Ala., on July 30, 2011. (Editor's note: Light entering the camera lens is creating the round flare of light around the two figures)
Abir Sultan / EPA
Orthodox nuns hold candles and flowers as they take part in a procession to bring the icon of the Virgin Mary to the tomb where it is believed she is buried, through Jerusalem's Old City, Israel, on August 25. Every year before the Feast of the Assumption, the icon is brought from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to the tomb of the Virgin Mary to honor her Assumption.
Armando Franca / AP
Nuns are escorted by a young woman past demonstrators shouting slogans against the visit of Pope Benedict XVI at Madrid's central Sol square Wednesday Aug. 17. The Pope is due to arrive Thursday for a four-day visit to celebrate World Youth Day, and thousands of protesters railing against his visit marched through Madrid to Plaza del Sol where they have held months of demonstrations against the government's anti-austerity policies.
Arturo Rodriguez / AP
Riot police officers clash with demonstrators following a protest against the next Pope Benedict XVI visit in Madrid on Wednesday, Aug. 17.
Arturo Rodriguez / AP
Riot police officers clash with demonstrators following a protest on Wednesday, Aug. 17.
Arturo Rodriguez / AP
Riot police officers clash with demonstrators following a protest on Wednesday, Aug. 17.
Not quite as nice a scene as earlier today, as shown in our PhotoBlog post.
The AP reports that Pope Benedict XVI will arrive in Madrid on Thursday for a four-day visit to greet up to a million or more young pilgrims from around the planet for the Catholic Church's World Youth Day. The festivities kicked off in Spanish capital on Tuesday.
Susana Vera / Reuters
Pilgrims and Catholic nuns attend World Youth Day's opening mass at Madrid's Cibeles Square on August 16. Up to a million pilgrims are expected to attend various events during the week.
Rafa Rivas / AFP - Getty Images
Pilgrims wait near Cibeles square in Madrid on August 16 before a giant open-air mass.
Susana Vera / Reuters
Priests attend World Youth Day's opening mass at Cibeles Square on August 16.
Susana Vera / Reuters
Priests line up to give communion to pilgrims on August 16.
Susana Vera / Reuters
A priest takes off his robe after World Youth Day's opening mass on August 16.
The AP reports from SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq:
A car bomb outside a Christian church wounded 23 people Tuesday as security forces found and disabled vehicles packed with explosives outside two other churches in northern Iraq.
The bombing and the two averted attacks in the northern city of Kirkuk signal continued violence against Iraqi Christians, nearly 1 million of whom have fled since the war began in 2003. Continue reading.
Emad Matti / AP
Iraqis inspect the site of an early morning car bomb attack in front of a church in Kirkuk, northern Iraq, on Aug. 2. Scores of people were injured in the attack, police said.
Emad Matti / AP
The damaged interior of the holy family Syrian Catholic Church after an early morning car bomb attack in Kirkuk on Aug. 2.
Marwan Ibrahim / AFP - Getty Images
Medics stitch the forehead of a young girl who was wounded when a car bomb exploded outside a church in Kirkuk on Aug. 2.
Paulo Duarte / AP
Revelers prepare for the Festa da Bugiada, a traditional folk event held annually to celebrate St. John, in Sobrado, Valongo, Portugal on June 24. The Festa da Bugiada is an ancient tradition which unfolds in the form of a struggle between Moors and Christians, known locally as Mourisqueiros and Bugios.
Paulo Duarte / AP
Revelers perform down the street in the Festa da Bugiada in Portugal on June 24.
Paulo Duarte / AP
A festive mask is worn by a reveler in the Festa da Bugiada in Portugal on June 24.
See more images related to the nativity of St. John the Baptist on PhotoBlog.
Noel Celis / AFP - Getty Images
"Children of mud", devotees with their bodies covered in mud and wearing banana leaves, attend a mass during a religious festival in Aliaga, north of Luzon, the Philippines, on June 24. Hundreds of devotees marking the feast of St. John the Baptist attended the annual religious festival.
Francis R. Malasig / EPA
A Catholic man rubs mud on his son's body prior to attending a holy mass to mark the 'Taong Putik' (Mud People) Festival and the feast of St. John the Baptist in Bibiclat, the Philippines on June 24. Devotees cover themselves in mud and leaves as part of a more than 100-years-old ritual to honor their patron saint and to ask for favors through prayer.
Romeo Ranoco / Reuters
A devotee applies mud to his face during a religious ceremony celebrating the feast day of St. John the Baptist in the remote village of Bibiclat on June 24.
Noel Celis / AFP - Getty Images
Mud-covered devotees attend a mass celebrating the feast day of St. John the Baptist in Aliaga on June 24.
See more images related to the nativity of St. John the Baptist on PhotoBlog.
Jorge Silva / Reuters
A girl prays inside the house of San Juan, the patron saint of Ocumare de la Costa, on the eve of San Juan Day in the central state of Aragua June 23, 2011. This year's start of San Juan Day celebrations coincides with celebrations for the Catholic festival of Corpus Christi, when people dressed as colourful devils dance on coastal towns before praying in front of churches.
Ariana Cubillos / AP
A woman wearing an fish mask dances during the celebrations of the Catholic Corpus Christi in Naiguata, Venezuela, Thursday, June 23, 2011. Spanish conquerors and Catholic priests presented dancing devils ceremonies to Latin America's African slave population 200 years ago, who adopted them incorporating drums.
Ariana Cubillos / AP
A person dressed as a dancing devil walks on his knees to give thanks for a miracle during a traditional dance celebration in Naiguata, Venezuela, Wednesday June 22, 2011.
See more images related to the nativity of St. John the Baptist on PhotoBlog.
Jaime Reina / AFP - Getty Images
A horse rears in a crowd during a horse parade of the traditional San Juan's (Saint John) festival in the town of Ciutadella, on the Balearic Island of Menorca, on June 23, on the eve of Saint John day.
See more images related to the nativity of St. John the Baptist on PhotoBlog.
Tony Gentile / Reuters
A gust of wind lifts Pope Benedict XVI's mantle during his weekly general audience at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican on June 1.
The TODAY Show's Matt Lauer had an audience with Pope Benedict this morning. Watch the video:
Find out what trinket made the perfect gift for animal-loving Pope Benedict XVI.
Pool / Getty Images
Cardinal Stanislav Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow and former personal secretary of Pope John Paul II, prays in front of the Tomb of new blessed John Paul II at the St. Peter's Basilica on May 3 in Vatican City, Vatican. The body of John Paul II was moved to the new resting place, near Michelangelo's 'The Pieta' statue, after a lavish beatification ceremony.
The new tomb made its debut today.
Older Photoblog posts on the beatification and a slideshow.
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