st. peter's. eneath the high altar, the archaeologists discover what appear to be the bones of an ancient man. >> so everyone is enormously excited because this is a tomb, and everyone including the pope thinks perhaps this is peter. the vatican decide to enlist the help of an anatomical expert from the university of palermo. >> the experts from the university of palermo are much less certain. they concluded that the remains are those of three people, one in fact a woman and the remains also include those of animals as well. >> the vatican decide the remains cannot belong to peter and over the next decade the search for his bones goes cold, but that changes in the 1950s. >> in 1953, a new figure enters the drama, she is margherita guarducci. she's an expert in epigraphy, the study of ancient inscriptions. she has a family connection to the pope, and she asks for permission to look again at some of the artifacts and at the zone of archaeology itself. >> guarducci becomes fascinated by some ancient g

some huge crowds have gathered in st peter's square.nk we can listen in, in a minute with, i hope, with a translation. translation: including our time to come forth from their prisons. he is the word brighter than the sun, made in cornet in the tiny son of man. jesus, the light of the world. this is why the people cry out, the people who walk in darkness have seena people who walk in darkness have seen a great light. there is darkness in humankind and get the light of christ is greater, still. there is darkness in personal, family and social relationships, but the light of christ is greater. there is darkness in economic, political and ecologically complex yet greater still is the light of christ. may he bring comfort to the beloved syrian people who still see no end to the hostilities in their countries over the last decade. may he stir the consciences of men and women of goodwill. may he inspire governments and the international community to find solutions to allow the people to live together in peace and security and put an end to th

delivered his christmas message from the vatican the pontiff told thousands of worshippers packed in st peter's square to let the light of christmas pierced the darkness in human hearts he also made an appeal for peace around the globe. germany's citizens should overcome their differences and show more mutual respect that's the christmas message from the german president. a mommy and he said glad you could be with us we start in syria according to a relief group more than 230-0000 people have fled a government assault on it live province most have been headed toward the turkish border syrian regime forces backed by tanks are continuing their ground advance against rebel held areas in southern and eastern adlib about $250.00 people have been killed in the latest flare up of violence. syrian tanks. as the ground assault to d.j. advances the government forces captured do they have to fit it down. immediately opening a major highway that's been close to 7 years for the army ultimately wants to recapture the province from the al qaeda the militias which control its. passage troops push forward civil

message from the vatican all in his annual address the pontiff told thousands of worshipers packed in st peter's square to let the light of christmas pierce the darkness in human hearts he also made an appeal for peace around the globe also coming up. syrian forces pound rebel held areas and is the problem says hundreds of thousands of people flee the fighting most are heading north to the turkish border and christmas in hong kong is marred by clashes democracy activists face off with police after a violent unrest on christmas eve. thank you so much for your company on why a rock pope francis has given his christmas address from the vatican all in his annual or which is latin for to the city and the world the pontiff spoke about migrants and those who've and dured what he called unspeakable forms of abuse he also called for an end to conflicts around the globe while he finished by blessing the catholic faithful who packed st peter's square in rome. 50000 people gathered in st peter's square in bright sunshine for the pope's christmas address it's the 7th of his papacy and again the condemnation

in the immense st peter's we find the legend of its foundation expressed in the sentence and so i say to you you peter and upon this rock i will build my church. the new building claim to be nothing less than the greatest monument in the history of the world time and again the builders dishpan it and down to it whether the immense vault would be capable of bearing the enormous. but will. the spirit of the age demanded a massive triumphant check. as an old man received a commission from pope clement the 9th to design the entrance to the cast as some tangent of. the building was the most a limb of emperor hadrian and the triumphant entrance way over the bridge was lined with statues of the classical gods of victory many replace these with angels converting a pagan monument into christian. the angels hones the instruments of the passion christi in their hands. the road becomes a symbolic way of the cross or via dolorosa like the one wont by the pilgrims in jerusalem. converted it into a triumphal procession and the angels bear with. as to it with the symbols of christ's passion. the ange

message from the vatican in his annual address the pontiff told thousands of worshipers packed in st peter's square to let the light of christmas pierced the darkness in human hearts he also made an appeal for peace around the globe also coming up christmas in hong kong marred by clashes democracy activists face off with police after violent unrest on christmas eve and the open rooms for many years christmas revolution the country marks a grizzly anniversary the execution of a communist dictator 30 years ago today all that helped bring the country's bloody revolution to an at. the heart thank you so much for your company everyone pope francis has given his christmas address from the vatican and is annual a or b a which is latin for to the city and the world the pontiff spoke about migrants and those who've endured what he called unspeakable forms of abuse he also called for an end to conflicts around the globe he finished by blessing the catholic faithful who packed st peter's square in rome. 50000 people gathered in st peter's square in bright sunshine for the pope's christmas address it's

at the beginning of the 16th century the foundation was laid for the new st peter's basilica in rome it was intended as a proof that christendom the classical era. in the mid 17th century a sculpture was made for the church of sun. it had the same aim to illustrate the ultimate triumph of christendom. was a successor. whose late work marked the end of the renaissance and the beginning of the baroque. the motif of the ecstasy of saint teresa is a variation of the annunciation also depicted by frog and jellicoe but with danny there was a decisive transformation. to rezone is portrayed in dramatic film many many attempts to make their tangible the mits a groan her eyes are twisted her body is open. from now on the story of salvation and the motifs derived from it were presented theatrically utilizing old visual tools available that included classical heroes and out agrees. precisely at the moment when st peter's basilica symbolized the victory of christian imagery of a pagan antiquity the latter returned in full force into the christian world. in the immense scope of st peter's we find

st. peter's basilica. he told the faithful that god loves everyone, even the worst of us. back here at home, cardinal timothy doland led midnight mass at new york's st. patrick's cathedral. marc liverman is in new york. how are other people commemorating this holy day? >> reporter: hey, good morning, wendy. well, for the millions of americans who celebrate christmas, so much of the holiday is about tradition. everything for picking out the perfect tree to watching your favorite christmas movie or catching a parade. as people ring in christmas around the world, even though traditions vary, they all share at least two things -- love and joy. ♪ from st. peter's basilica in the vatican -- [ speaking foreign language ] -- to bethlehem's manger square, christians around the world flock to historic locations for midnight mass. ushering in christmas. buckingham palace shared video of queen elizabeth preparing christmas pudding with her son, prince charles and princes william and george. >> we've got a great year -- >> reporter: stateside, the president and first lady attended a chr

st. peter's square in rome. >> 50,000 people gathered in st. peter's square in bright sunshine for the pope's christmas address, the seventh of his papacy. again, the condemnation of war and violence was the heart of his message. with conflict in europe, asia, africa, and the americas, francis issued a call for peace. >> may christ bring his light to the many children suffering from war and conflicts in the middle east and in various countries of the world. may he inspire governments and the international community to find solutions to allow the peoples of those regions to live together in peace and security and put an end to their suffering. >> the list of war-torn regions is wrong. francis again called for better protection for people fleeing the violence, and he criticized europe's policy and expelling or refusing entry to migrgrants. toward the end of his address, he gave the traditional blessing to the city of rome and the world. >> [speaking foreign language] >> amen. >> and then a more mundane message to the faithful around the globe. >>

precisely at the moment when st peter's basilica symbolized the victory of

the world have begun celebrating christmas at the vatican pope francis led the midnight mass at st peter's basilica as one of the most important ceremonies on the catholic calendar people from around the globe descend on rome to

years live from berlin pope francis give me at all the address you're seeing live pictures from st peter's square in rome where the conflict is about all these annual christmas releasing to the city and to the world also coming up. romania marks a grisly anniversary 3 decades of though it's the last communist dictator nations and bringing the country's bloody revolution to a close. hello i'm christine wendell welcome to the program. we begin our broad cost in brome where pope francis is set to give his yearly irby it'll be christmas day blessing from the balcony off the st this piece has pacifica christians around the bold also integrating the birth of jesus thousands have come to see the pontiff this cross over to rome. all right and those are pictures from rome where pope francis is shortly going to be delivering he's opiate oby christmas message now he led a midnight mass at st peter's basilica at the vatican he's blessing emphasized forgiveness not just for sin is but for the church itself ofter a difficult area in which sexual abuse scandals continue to rock the catholic church franci

but francis has been giving the christmas beatrice and his blessing to the catholic faithful from st peter's square in broome but. it's. suppose it's 90 minutes. francis spoke about migrants and those who've endured what he caught and speakable forms of abuse he will not ruin the pontiff also board for an end to the social unrest in venezuela and appealed for peace in syria is to make christ bring his light to the many children suffering from war and conflicts in the middle east and in various countries of the world. see him bring comfort to the beloved syrian people who still see no end to the hostilities that have rent their country over the last decade. now let's bring in journalist david wiley who's in rome he's been following the vatican for years good to have you david what you may call for france's message this year. well i think pope francis is trying he has a very ambitious program he's working he's celebrated his 82nd birthday recently he's aware of his increasing age and he can't expect many years to come of his previous 8 he's preparing his for his shooting and i think that he is

delivered his christmas message from the vatican the pontiff told thousands of worshippers packed in st peter's square to let the light of christmas here's the darkness in human hearts he also made an appeal for peace around the globe. and the old wounds of for millions of christmas revolution the country marks the grisly anniversary of the execution of a communist dictator 30 years ago today that helped bring the country's bloody revolution to an end. so glad you could join us to our viewers in the united states on p.b.s. and our viewers around the world a very warm welcome and we begin this broadcast in syria according to a relieved group more than 200000 people have fled a government assault on ad lib promise most have been having to. at the turkish border syrian regime forces backed by tanks are continuing their ground offensive against rebel held areas in southern and eastern it live about 250 people have been killed in this latest flare up of violence. syrian tanks fire on targets as the ground assault in italy province advances. government forces captured village after village their imme

square in rome. 50000 people gathered in st peter's square in bright sunshine for the pope's christmas address it's the 7th of his papacy and again the condemnation of war and violence was the heart of his message with conflicts in europe asia africa and the americas francis issued a call for peace. he still. made rice to bring his lights went out to the many children suffering from war conflicts in the middle east and in various countries of the world. and. he inspired governments and the international community to find solutions to allow the peoples of those regions to live together in peace and security. and put an end to their suffering he really saw it in. the list of war torn regions its long francis again come for better protection for people fleeing the violence and he criticized europe's policy ever expanding for refusing entry to migrants toward the end of his address he gave the traditional blessing where the or being to the city of rome and the world. and then a more mundane message to the faithful around the globe. and joy of christmas lunch . i. now in the german presiden

thousands of people packed st peter's basilica in rome for the service.f change, urging his followers to stop trying to change other people and try to change themselves. our rome correspondent, mark lowen, reports. in the gilded splendour of st peter's basilica, this was a solemn christmas eve mass. the seventh that pope francis has led. his homily talked of god's love. "you may have mistaken ideas, you may have made a complete mess of things," he said, "but the lord continues to love you." that will be seen by some as a reference to church scandals, including sex abuse. francis' papacy is in many ways reformist, shaking up the traditional dominance of the church. perhaps then there was a pointed message in his words, we change, the church changes, history changes once we stop trying to change others but try to change ourselves. among those taking part in the liturgy where children are chosen from countries including venezuela, iraq and uganda, a clear gesture from the leader of 1.3 billion catholics who often focuses on the plight of migrants and victims

in the gilded splendour of st peter's basilica, this was a solemn christmas eve's mass. seventh that pope francis has led. he talked of god's love, you may have made a mess of things, but the lord continues to love you. that may be seen as continues to love you. that may be seen as some as a reference to church scandals, including sex abuse. perhaps then, there was a pointed message in his words, we change, the church changes, history changes, once we stop trying to changes, once we stop trying to change others, but change ourselves. among those taking part in the liturgy were children chosen from countries including venezuela, iraq and uganda, a clear adjusterfrom the leader of 1.3 billion catholics who often focus on the plight of migrants and victims of war as well as on extending the reach of the church to its periphery. after the spirituality of midnight mass, comes the pope's message, where he is expected to touch a little more on political themes, close to the heart of the 83—year—old pontiff. mark lowen, bbc news. pilgrims from around the world have been gatherin

the pope has presided over the year's end celebrations at st peter's basilica.his evening, before walking through st peter's square to greet pilgrims. he tweeted. .. let us give thanks to god for his grace, which has sustained us in this past year, and with joy let us raise a song of praise to him. in the last few minutes greece saw in the new year at the acropolis of athens — an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city. the north korean leader kimjong—un has declared that his country is abandoning its moratoriums on nuclear and long—range ballistic missile tests. mr kim had given the united states until the end of 2019 to find a way of salvaging their stalled talks on ridding the korean peninsula of nuclear weapons. north korea hasn't carried out any nuclear or long—range missile tests since 2017. the met office says it's provisionally recorded its highest ever december temperature in the uk. it reached 18.7 degrees celsius at achfary in scotland on saturday. time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello there. the early days of the ne

in the gilded splendour of st peter's basilica, this was a solemn christmas eve mass. amen.he seventh that pope francis has led. his homily talked of god's love. "you may have mistaken ideas, you may have made a complete mess of things, but the lord continues to love you." that will be seen by some as a reference to church scandals, including sex abuse. francis‘ papacy is in many ways reformist — shaking up the traditional governance of the church. perhaps then, there was a pointed message in his words, "we change, the church changes, history changes, once we stop trying to change others, but try to change ourselves. " among those taking part in the liturgy were children chosen from countries including venezuela, iraq and uganda, a clear gesture from the leader of 1.3 billion catholics who often focuses on the plight of migrants and victims of war as well as on extending the reach of the church to its periphery. after the spirituality of midnight mass, comes the pope's christmas day urbi et orbi message, where he's expected to touch a little more on political themes, close t

after celebrating first vespers, the pope greeted pilgrims in st peter's square.ustained us in this past year, and with joy let us raise a song of praise to him. 0ur correspondent charlotte gallagher is in central london ahead of tonight's fireworks. behind me, he london eye will be lit up behind me, he london eye will be lit up behind me. there are barges as well with 10,000 fireworks placed on them and they will be set off at midnight. this has taken months to prepare but they have only had a few hours to get those fireworks onto the london eye. they cannot put it on when people are riding around in it, so there has been a rush to get thejob finished. earlier it, so there has been a rush to get the job finished. earlier i spoke to the job finished. earlier i spoke to the mayor of london, sadiq khan, and got more details about the display tonight. well, i don't want to ruin the surprise, but i can say, hand on look, we may be leaving the european union, but we're not leaving europe. tonight's fireworks will celebrate us as a global city, european city but next ye

to you form berlin up next an 11 year old dancer pursues his dream and a lot of us starts mar in st peter that's up next on reporter don't forget you can always get the latest news and information on our website just go to tell you dot com american episteme from me and the entire news team thanks for watching. 50 years of religions for peace to people from many different states working together toward a common goal the peaceful resolution of this religious conflict. now female members of religion schools peers from the middle east are demanding the lord. all common ground is empowering women giving them the rule. making them agents of change. and. the female peacemakers stores turning where we fish to doggedly. that was a. few final touches and they're ready and him young some you know for a lead dancing in the most beautiful of christmas ballets. on the big opera stage and vladivostok eastern russia. being a ballet dancer is nice but tough. 0 it's even tougher for someone who comes from the provinces and is just starting out. be able to tense up lift her back turn your legs outward. you

address so be it over to the city and the world along with he's placing to the catholic faithful from st peter's square in broome but. it really is the percent. hit 90 at st. francis spoke about migrants and those who have endured what he called and speakable forms of abuse the pontiff also called for an end to the social and raised in venezuela and he appealed for peace in syria to make christ bring his light to the many children suffering from war and conflicts in the middle east and in various countries of the world. see him bring comfort to the beloved syrian people who still see no end to the hostilities that have written their country over the last decade. in ways to reach a new. david willey is a veteran correspondent who's covered the vesa can for decades he said today's address by pope francis was also an attempt to put a hopeful spin on what's been a terrible year for the catholic church pope francis is trying he has a very ambitious program he's working he's celebrated his 82nd birthday recently he's aware of his increasing age. he can't expect many years to come of his previous. he's

the world have begun celebrating christmas at the vatican pope francis led the midnight mass at st peter's basilica. that's one of the most important ceremonies on the roman catholic count calendar people from around the globe descend on rome to witness the ritual. pope francis is blessing emphasize love and forgiveness after a difficult year for the church. thank you barry you think i may call it like the combination together the heavenly realm fills you with your gift of his peace and things that you share with the church in heaven. and then the. party. he has to be and this. christmas celebrations are also taking place in bethlehem revered by christians as the birthplace of jesus more than 2000 years ago mass was held in the church of the nativity which is one of the world's oldest places of continuous christian worship . outside thousands of visitors converged around the christmas tree in manger square record numbers of tourists are expected to visit bethlehem over the christmas period many have to pass through israel's separation barrier to reach the city that is in the israeli occupi

the birth of jesus more than 2000 years ago at the vatican pope francis led the midnight mass at st peter's basilica his blessing emphasized forgiveness not just for sinners but for the church itself after a difficult year in which sexual abuse scandals continue to rock the catholic church francis urged christians to keep the faith. forward i he does a ritual that dates back to the 1st centuries of the catholic church the midnight mass at some pages is a spiritual gathering there the pope is said to confide the would of god to the faithful of. course all of that he may call who by the incarnation brought together the earth and the heavenly realm fill you with the gift of his peace and favor and may you share it with the church in heaven it is this. for the pontiff and followers of the catholic faith it has been a trying him scandal has reached the very top of the church in many places. so in his sermon the pope appealed for believers to maintain the faith. that they may we not wait for our neighbors to be good before we do good to them let us not wait for the church to be perfect before we

to you for berlin up next an 11 year old dancer pursues his dream of a lot of us stuff maher in st peter that up next on reporter don't forget you can always get the latest news and information on our website just go to you dot com american episteme from me and the entire news team thanks for watching. 50 years of religions for peace people from many different faiths working together toward a common goal of peaceful resolution of religious conflicts. now female members of religions for peace from the middle east are demanding a long.

christians around the world have begun celebrating christmas in the vatican pope francis has arrived in st peter's basilica where he's set to lead the traditional midnight mass it's one of the most important ceremonies in roman catholicism he'll continue on christmas day with the or b. and or b. blessing when he's expected to make a plea for world peace well lo worshippers have also been celebrating in bethlehem where they believe jesus was born or earlier in the day the head of the catholic church in the region traveled to bethlehem from jerusalem. the catholic archbishop here but easter pizza bomber set off from jerusalem with his convoy around noon and israeli honor guard accompanied him to bethlehem just under 10 kilometers away. once a year and just for the sick asian the wall separating israel from bethlehem and the palestinian territories is opened the conflict in the middle east subsides at least temporarily for christmas. is not for us the school sort of break the hole that is still living maybe not in the big institutions but in the small ones the little ones over the slightest palestini