Home Page

VATICAN CITY – Listening to an early morning talk show on the radio one recent morning, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone grew annoyed as callers complained about the Vatican’s “silence” on soccer violence. So the Vatican’s secretary of state picked up the phone and soon found himself on the air, giving listeners an earful. Cardinal Bertone pointed out that Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican newspaper and the cardinal himself had all condemned the recent killing of a policeman at a soccer match – and said if people didn’t know that, they weren’t paying attention. He added that it was a huge mistake to suggest, as some listeners had done, that the pope was somehow detached from the concerns of average people.

OTTAWA – Liberal leader Stephane Dion gets mixed reviews from Canadian Catholic observers who like his emphasis on a sustainable environment and social justice but raise concerns about his highly individualistic notion of rights. They fear his approach as leader of Canada’s main opposition party could mean clashes down the road over group rights, especially those of families, religions and nationalities.

WASHINGTON – The last prolife bill to be considered by the 109th Congress became one of the first introduced in the 110th Congress when Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., reintroduced the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act. The legislation, which died in the House of Representatives Dec. 6 when it failed to receive the two-thirds majority needed to break a procedural impasse, would require that women undergoing an abortion at least 20 weeks into their pregnancy be informed that an abortion causes pain to the fetus.

When Karolina Pioro was chosen as a foreign exchange student to the United States, the 17-year-old Polish teen thought for sure she would be living in a metropolis with bustling streets and tall buildings. After arriving in the tiny Western Maryland community of Grantsville in late August, she was surprised to discover a wholly different slice of America.

When Stephanie “Stevie” Richards told her new husband to wash the dishes, he responded that it was not a man’s job. “In this house it is,” retorted the bride. The young girl’s stance may have been somewhat brazen for the year 1933, but Mrs. Richards knew she had married a pampered young man spoiled by five sisters and a doting mother.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Tarek Saab became an instant celebrity after appearing on NBC’s “The Apprentice,” one of the most highly rated and critiqued shows on network television. He spent 10 weeks on the reality show last year before hearing the words “you’re fired” from the program’s executive producer and host, Donald Trump. While the 27-year-old lost a chance to work for the high-profile financier, he gained valuable insight into the power of fame and its impact on society.