Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI appealed Thursday to lawmakers in Luxembourg not to pass legislation legalizing euthanasia, or doctor-assisted suicide.

Political representatives need to remember that a "deliberate decision to deprive innocent humans of their lives is always wicked from a moral point of view," Benedict said.

The pontiff made the remarks during a speech in which he accepted the credentials of Luxembourg's new ambassador to the Vatican, Paul Duehr.

Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday met with 11 Libya-based Muslim scholars and experts who participated in two days of inter-faith talks at the Vatican.

The talks themed "Responsibilities of Religious Leaders especially in Times of Crisis," are part of several Vatican initiatives to reach out to Muslims and improve relations damaged in 2006 when Benedict, in a speech, appeared to associate Islam with violence.

Following their meeting with the pontiff on Wednesday, the Muslim delegation from the Tripoli-based World Islamic Call Society issued a joint four-point declaration with the

Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday said people should build Nativity scenes for Christmas to help recreate the "mystery" of Jesus' birth on earth.

Benedict, speaking during his weekly general audience, was referring to the practice of using statuettes or carvings to represent the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem as celebrated by Christians at Christmas.

The Nativity scene or crib "is an important element, not only of our faith but also of Christian art and culture," Benedict said.

Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI has attacked financial greed, the arms race and unjust trade practices, which he identified as the root causes of poverty, in a document issued by the Vatican on Thursday.

The pontiff's words are contained in a message for the Roman Catholic Church's traditional January 1, World Day of Peace, which for 2009 is themed: Fighting Poverty to Build Peace.

Vatican City - The Vatican announced Tuesday the retirement of Nigerian-born Cardinal Francis Arinze, who was touted by many as a strong candidate for the papacy ahead of the 2005 conclave that eventually elected Benedict XVI.

Benedict has accepted the "for age limits" resignation of Arinze as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Holy See said in a statement.

Vatican City - A top Vatican official said Thursday Muslims should be allowed to build new mosques in Italy, where the country's interior minister, citing terrorism fears, is pushing to ban such initiatives.

On Wednesday Interior Minister Roberto Maroni a member of the anti-immigration Northern League party, proposed a moratorium on the building of mosques following the arrest of two Moroccans suspected of planning a series of bomb attacks.

But Monsignor Gianfranco Ravasi who heads the Holy See's culture department, suggested such a ban would be counterproductive.

"A place of worship if used as such, is always a source of communion and dialogue," Ravasi was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency.