A woman the Vatican described as unstable jumped over a barricade, lunged at Pope Benedict and dragged him to the floor at the start of his Mass.

Pope Benedict led the world’s 1,1-billion Catholics into Christmas at a midnight mass on Thursday in which he appealed for an end to child abuse.

Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday backed the beatification of his controversial World War II predecessor Pius XII.

The Vatican has warned journalists who will travel with Pope Benedict to Lourdes not to put the water from the shrine in their hand luggage.