The voices of popes from as long ago as 1884 can be heard by the public after the digitizing of 8,000 tapes from the Vatican Radio's pontifical archives, the Vatican said Tuesday.

The initiative was launched as part of preparations for the sainting of John Paul II and John XXIII (1958-63) on April 17, in the first double papal canonization ceremony in Church history.

Claims that the Holy Grail has been found after sitting for 1,000 years in a Spanish church face a tough inquisition from doubtful historians.

Visitors flocked to the museum of the San Isidro basilica in Leon after a new book said it contained the chalice from which Jesus Christ sipped at the Last Supper.

Australia's highest court on Wednesday recognized the existence of a third "non-specific" gender that is neither male nor female, in a landmark ruling campaigners said will help end years of discrimination.

The High Court ruled that not everyone should be forced to identify as a man or woman when dealing with officials, saying some people could legitimately describe themselves as gender neutral.

Frenchman Jacques Le Goff, one of the most influential medieval historians of modern times, died in Paris on Tuesday aged 90, his family told newspaper Le Monde.

Over a long career in academia and public broadcasting, Le Goff transformed views of the Middle Ages from a dark and backward time to a period that laid the foundations for modern Western civilization.

A Syrian artist has set a Guinness record for the world's largest mural made of recycled materials, aiming to inspire hope and creativity in his war-ravaged country.

Guinness World Records announced on its Facebook page that Moaffak Makhoul and his team completed the mural in Damascus in January, two months shy of the third anniversary of the grim conflict in Syria.

Curators were forced to remove a precious cup from display in a church in Spain when crowds swarmed there after historians claimed it was the Holy Grail, staff said.

Visitors flocked to the San Isidro basilica in the northwestern city of Leon after two historians published a book saying the ancient goblet was the mythical chalice from which Christ sipped at the Last Supper.

Dogs and cats are often beloved family members in current culture, but animals held such a prominent place in ancient Egyptian society that tens of millions were mummified, some going into the pharaohs' tombs to rest eternally in the company of their kings.

Others had their own special cemeteries, where they were buried in coffins as elaborately carved as those of royal family members.

At one church, the only thing being worshipped is beer -- at another, gleaming cars are on sale. Increasingly, it seems, a different kind of conversion is taking place at Britain's churches.

Thanks to a steady decline in religion and the high costs of maintaining these historic buildings, a rising number of churches are being given new lives that may have horrified their founders.

Some recoil at his name, while others still refuse to acknowledge his popularity. India's Muslims have watched the rise of election frontrunner Narendra Modi anxiously and are now united in their wariness.

Many of the worshippers at the Jama Masjid Terhi Bazaar mosque in Ayodhya, a kilometer from India's most notorious religious flashpoint, were too young to remember the 1992 riots which left more than 2,000 people dead.

Fashion retailer H&M has pulled a vest from its shelves worldwide after accusations its design, which featured a menacing skull in the center of a Star of David, was anti-Semitic.

The menswear item, which was withdrawn this week following complaints, was also destined for sale in Israel, where the retailer has 14 stores.