Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi has expressed "astonishment" at an Italian court ruling that investigators were right to seize Vatican Bank funds as part of a money-laundering probe.

The Synod of Bishops for the Middle East is considering 41 proposals which will form the basis of their final list of propositions to be presented to the Pope on Saturday.

Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun has accused an anonymous website commenter of trying to pit him against the bishops of Shanghai.