The Wikipedia article on goalkeepers states that:
The goalkeeper is the only player in the side who may use his or her hands and arms to catch, throw and save the ball, but only within the penalty area.
(boldface added, I'v edited the wiki page to solve the ambiguity)
It is however not clear to me whether the goalkeeper can only use his/her hands within the penalty area of his/her team or is he/she allowed to use his/her hands within the penalty area of the opponents team as well.
Sometimes goalkeepers effectively cross the field for instance to assist the team in a final corner, etc. I am wondering if the goalkeeper would be allowed to use his hands (for instance to catch the ball and throw it to the opponents goal?
Can someone provide a reference whether this is allowed?