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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of the controversial head of Argentina’s military diocese, who submitted his resignation at age 75 in accordance with canon law. There was no immediate word on who would succeed Bishop Antonio Baseotto, who clashed with the government of President Nestor Kirchner two years ago. Pope Benedict accepted his resignation May 15. Earlier this year, an Argentine legislator drafted a bill to eliminate his position.

STUTTGART, Germany – Representatives of nearly 240 Christian movements have urged Europe’s churches to be a cohesive force in defending the continent’s Christian identity and pressing for greater solidarity with the poor and marginalized. “We see more clearly our responsibility in facing Europe’s challenges today: to be a strong social, cohesive force in its cultural pluralism,” the movements said in a declaration to European politicians. “Together we want to say to Europe and the world that our movements and communities are inspired by the Gospel of life and peace.”

Cardinal William H. Keeler will ordain nine permanent deacons for the Archdiocese of Baltimore May 19 in a 10 a.m. ceremony at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, Homeland. The men completed four years of extensive study and were required to take courses in theology, leadership and spirituality with the Church Leadership Institute, followed by internships, coursework, retreats and a host of other ctivities preparing for formation. Deacons serve in hospitals, prisons and parishes in a variety of capacities.

Nine-year-old Ashlyn Thomas has always dreamed of opening a lemonade stand outside her house in Libertytown, but there was never enough foot traffic on her street to justify it. That’s not a problem at her home parish of St. Peter the Apostle in Libertytown where hundreds of people gather for Sunday Masses every week. With the permission of Monsignor John Dietzenbach, pastor, Ashlyn and about a dozen friends began operating a lemonade stand at the parish a few years ago during the summer months. All the money they earn is donated to a special fund to help rebuild the church that burned down in 2004. Homemade signs advertise the business venture as a “Lemon-Aid” stand.

When the homeless dine at the new Our Daily Bread facility when it opens in June, they will have a grand view of a superbly landscaped garden intended for reflection. However, a vision is all they will have of the oasis, unless they are accepted into a program designed to advance their employability. The reflecting garden – adjacent to the dining room of Catholic Charities’ new $15 million employment center and soup kitchen – was included in the plans of the 52,000-square-foot building specifically for the men of Christopher Place to relax, play basketball and enjoy nature’s splendor. It was also strategically placed to act as a dangling carrot for the estimated 700 homeless and needy Baltimoreans who will eat daily at the Fallsway building.

The Maryland State Court Catholic daughters of the Americas held their 44th Biennial State Convention May 4-6 at the Holiday Inn, BWI Airport Conference Center. The host court was St. Francis Xavier, Baltimore, who set the theme of “Smoot Sailing into the Future for Women Embracing the Gift of Humanity.” Some 150 Catholic Daughters convened to recommit and reinforce their motto of unity and charity.

WASHINGTON – As the Senate prepared to open two weeks of debate on immigration reform legislation in mid-May despite lacking a bill around which to shape the discussion, Catholic and other immigration advocates were troubled by some of the proposals they had heard. After no viable bill seemed to be on the horizon despite months of behind-the-scenes negotiation among Senate Democrats, Republicans and the White House, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said May 11 that he was prepared to reintroduce a bill approved by the Senate last year as a starting point. That bill died at the close of the 109th Congress in December after negotiators failed to reconcile it with a vastly different immigration bill approved by the House.

APARECIDA, Brazil – With their agenda broadly outlined by Pope Benedict XVI, the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean began the conference that will lead to pastoral guidelines for the region for the next 10-15 years. Several bishops who spoke with journalists said the pope raised many of the issues likely to be addressed during the conference, including deeper formation in the faith and church social doctrine, poverty, ministry among indigenous peoples and family life. Archbishop Pedro Barreto Jimeno of Huancayo, Peru, called the pope’s May 13 speech to the bishops “inspiring” and “encouraging.” Archbishop Baltazar Porras Cardozo of Merida, Venezuela, told journalists that the pope did not “put us in a straitjacket” but “came to present a challenge to the church.”

APARECIDA, Brazil – On a five-day visit to Latin America, Pope Benedict XVI identified a host of social and religious challenges and said the church should respond by focusing more clearly on the person of Jesus Christ. “This is the faith that has made America the ‘continent of hope.’ Not a political ideology, not a social movement, not an economic system: faith in the God who is love – who took flesh, died and rose in Jesus Christ,” the pope said on the final day of his May 9-13 visit to Brazil. It was a comment echoed in many of his encounters, which included a rally with young people, the canonization of the first Brazilian-born saint, and the inauguration of the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean.