In a move which is likely to puzzle many both inside and outside the Vatican, conservative Catholic groups have launched a petition to express support for Pope Benedict XVI, after recent worldwide criticism.

The Interfaith Alliance UK, which aims to be a progressive voice of religious cooperation on social issues, has expressed concern that some in the Catholic hierarchy are trying to reverse key reforms in the Church.

Pope Benedict says he has full solidarity with Jewish people and warns against Holocaust denial, following outrage at his reinstatement of an excommunicated bishop who says there were no gas chambers.

Pope Benedict XVI has attacked the "unbridled pursuit of wealth and short term profit" as the root cause of poverty and the global food crisis at the expense of "the common good".