Stop press: Vatican daily halted

The Vatican daily L'Osservatore Romano, which Pope Francis has jokingly called "the party newspaper," has suspended printing for only the third time in nearly 160 years.

The paper, which was founded in 1861, will continue publishing online and most of its staff of about 60, including 20 journalists, will work from home, editor Andrea Monda said.

The paper was not published on Sept. 20, 1870, when forces fighting for Italian unification conquered Rome and publication was also suspended for a period in 1919 due to labour unrest and other difficulties in Italy after World War One.

Ten copies will continue to be printed. They are for Pope Francis, former Pope Benedict, a few top officials and several to be archived for the historical record.