The commission celebrates Piacenza's joining the Papal States after French troops were driven out of Northern Italy in 1512.

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The territory of the former papal states is not even the most developed or law-abiding part of Italy.

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Strongholds of American Catholicism like Boston have been especially hard-hit and in contrast to previous papal visits to the United States, Boston is a rather glaring omission from Benedict's itinerary.

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When Benedict visited New York City in 2008, Lydia Bastianich, the doyenne of Italian cooking in the United States, produced multiple lavish feasts for the papal entourage.

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Benedict spoke with some victims of sexual abuse by priests on papal visits to countries including the United States and the United Kingdom, where he expressed his "deep sorrow" over the scandal.

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At least 15 names were considered ahead of Bergoglio in 12 books accepting wagers on the papal election in Europe and online outside the United States.

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