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VATICAN CITY – Placing the pallium, a woolen band, around the shoulders of 46 archbishops from around the world, Pope Benedict XVI prayed that they would be true shepherds of their flocks and always united with the pope. “May this pallium be for you a symbol of unity and a sign of communion with the Apostolic See,” the pope said as the archbishops named in the past year knelt before him during the June 29 Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A top leader of the Christian Family Movement in the United States called an initiative by the U.S. bishops to strengthen marriage “good for couples and good for society.” “It’s very exciting to see the Catholic Church encouraging people to treasure their own marriages,” said Lauri Przybysz, who shares the CFM presidency with her husband, John. The national office of CFM is in Evansville.

WASHINGTON – A U.S. bishop, who described the situation of Christians in Iraq as “particularly dire,” called for an end to the continuing violence against the country’s religious minorities.

LIMA, Peru – From the forests of Honduras and the highlands of Guatemala to the Andes Mountains and the Amazon rain forest, church leaders and grass-roots Catholics are facing off against loggers, gold miners, ranchers and oil companies. Some have paid with their lives. Others, such as Bishop Erwin Krautler of Xingu, Brazil, have received death threats.

WASHINGTON – At the top of Bob Zyskowski’s to-do list as the new president of the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada is “making association membership more valuable to everyone who works for Catholic publications.” “I think we need to offer members more programs and services that make Catholic media so good that they are even more vital and valuable to readers and viewers,” he told Catholic News Service in an interview in June.

WASHINGTON – A host of Catholic organizations have joined similar Protestant, Jewish and Muslim groups in a coalition to urge a reversal of one part of last year’s Military Commissions Act that eliminates habeas corpus for noncitizens held in custody.

When parishioners attend Mass at Sacred Heart, Glyndon, July 14 and 15, they will hear from a missionary working in Argentina about the continuing labors of the Catholic Church in that region. Members of the congregation will then be asked to generously contribute in the second collection to help fund those ongoing efforts.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI spent about an hour with an international group of bishops June 27 discussing his decision to allow greater use of the Tridentine Mass. Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston, who attended the meeting, confirmed to Catholic News Service that the purpose of the encounter was to inform the bishops about the coming papal document and help ensure its favorable reception.

DENVER – Public service announcements for television and radio launched by the U.S. bishops June 27 feature couples from around the country candidly talking about what they did that day for their marriage.

To many, Jim McCoach was a legend in the world of local runners, particularly those in the high school community. He died in 2006, and on July 1 a 5K run/walk will take place in his honor at Oregon Ridge Park.

WASHINGTON – Slavery is something most Americans read about only in history books, but British actress and U.N. Goodwill Ambassador Julia Ormond has met the victims of modern slavery – vulnerable men, women and children sold by traffickers for sex or labor.