For two decades, Silvio Berlusconi has dominated Italian politics as the longest serving national leader in Europe. But in the last 24 hours, it seems his reign may finally be coming to an end — an idea unthinkable to many Italians who thought he would be in power for life. Berlusconi pledged to resign on Tuesday on the condition Parliament passes an austerity package. From his outrageous comments to his sex scandals to repeated allegations of corruption in his government, the BBC's Rome correspondent, David Willey looks back at the remarkable and colorful career of Silvio Berlusconi.

Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's downgraded Italy's debt one notch late on Monday. The Italian government is furious this morning at S&P's decision to lower the rating from A+ to A. S&P defended its decision, citing Italy's weak economic growth and high levels of government debt. The agency also expressed doubts over the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Parliament's ability to manage the growing crisis.

Pope Benedict XVI's opinions on the use of condoms have been expanded in a book released this morning. In interviews used in the book, "Light of the World," the Pope told a German journalist that using condoms to prevent of HIV, such as in the case of male prostitutes, is a "lesser evil." Is the Vatican's position on birth control changing? 

Father Peter Hullerman, a German Catholic priest, was suspended Tuesday. He had been allowed to stay in a rectory to receive "therapy," after being accused of abusing an 11-year-old boy in 1980. The decision to finally suspend him came days after he returned from a camping trip with children.

• Rome Takeout: The Pope will break tradition by holding Christmas Eve Mass two hours early, at 10 p.m. instead of midnight. We speak with David Willey, BBC Vatican correspondent, about why 82-year-old Pope Benedict might be making the change.
• Listeners' Takeout: We hear listeners croon more of their favorite holiday music.

President Barack Obama will meet with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican today. Catholics supported President Obama in the U.S. during the elections— he won the majority of their votes. But there continues to be friction between Catholics and the president over the issue of abortion. Joining The Takeaway is BBC Rome Correspondent David Willey who is at the Vatican today. Also joining the conversation is Cathleen Kaveny, the John P. Murphy Foundation Professor of Law and Theology at Notre Dame University.

Tomorrow President Obama heads to Italy for the opening of the G8 summit. He will meet with Pope Benedict, who has just issued a new encyclical calling for a new financial world order. In the paper, called "Charity in Truth," the Pope draws on traditional Catholic teaching in rebuking the profit-at-all-costs mentality of the global economy. Greed is a mortal sin, after all. For more, The Takeaway talks to David Willey, Rome correspondent for our partners the BBC.

President Obama has nominated Miguel Diaz, a Cuban-American theology professor from Minnesota, as the new ambassador to the Vatican. If confirmed by the Senate, Diaz will be the first Latino to fill this post. He will also be inheriting a position that has been vacant since the January departure of Mary Ann Glendon, a Bush appointee and a staunch abortion opponent. David Willey, BBC's Rome correspondent joins us with more.

Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Israel today after spending three days in neighboring Jordan. Israeli leaders, including President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, gathered to greet the Pontiff at the airport. But the Pope's visit is not without controversy. After he arrived in Israel, the Pope called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian homeland, a stance that could strain his mission of easing relations between the Vatican and Jews. For more we turn to the BBC's Rome correspondent and Pope watcher, David Willey.

If we learned anything about our new President during his trip abroad this month, it's that his charm speaks all languages. But it seems that if President Obama wants to pick an ambassador to the Vatican, he may need to turn up the charm a notch. Our partners, the BBC, are reporting that the Vatican has informally vetoed three of Obama’s potential nominees for U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. For more we turn to David Willey, Rome correspondent for the BBC.

As residents of the central Italian city L'Aquila slept on Sunday, a deadly earthquake hit the surrounding region. Entire blocks of buildings were destroyed, rendering an estimated 17,000 people homeless and causing the deaths of 179 people. According to the U.S. Geological Survey the quake registered a 6.3 magnitude, while Italy's National Institute of Geophysics recorded it as a 5.8. Aftershocks and inclement weather have been interfering with rescue efforts and an estimated 37 people are still missing. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi declared a state of emergency for the Abruzzo region, approximately 60 miles from Rome. For more we turn to the BBC's Rome Correspondent David Willey.

Watch Italian rescue teams sift through rubble in the aftermath of the earthquake in L'Aquila.

As residents of the central Italian city L'Aquila slept, a deadly earthquake hit the surrounding region, killing at least 50 people. Entire blocks of buildings were destroyed, displacing around 10,000 people. According to the U.S. Geological Survey the quake registered a 6.3 magnitude, while Italy's National Institute of Geophysics recorded it as a 5.8. For more we turn to the BBC's Rome Correspondent David Willey.

Watch CNN's footage of the devastating earthquake in the clip below.

President Obama gave Chrysler until the end of April to finalize a deal with the Italian car company, Fiat. While the partnership may seem an unlikely pairing, Fiat was facing similar dire straits to Chrysler until a recent turnaround under new management. Is this the breath of fresh air that Chrysler needs? And how does this international team sound to Italy? To help answer that question we turn to David Willey, the BBC's Rome correspondent.

To find out more about Chrysler's potential partner, watch this classic Fiat advertisement.

Pope Benedict XVI arrives in Cameroon today on his first trip to the African continent as Pope. Africa has seen an explosion in the number of Catholics in recent years and is home to an estimated 58 million Catholics. The BBC’s Rome correspondent and a veteran Vatican-watcher David Willey joins The Takeaway to offer his insight on this trip.