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FRIBOURG, Switzerland – The Swiss Catholic bishops’ conference said it opposed a proposal to ban the construction of minarets in Switzerland.

The most fascinating stories are about folks who make things happen with little money or material and against all odds. One such group is the Oblate Sisters of Providence, who are celebrating 180 years of service to God this year with a banquet on Sept. 18. At the highly anticipated fundraising event, aprons signed and designed by celebrities will be auctioned to raise money to build an audition to the motherhouse on Gun Road. CNN anchor and special correspondent, Soledad O’Brien will be the keynote speaker.

MANILA, Philippines – Father Eddie Panlilio, who has served as governor of the Philippines’ Pampanga province since 2007, said he will not run for president in 2010 and will instead throw his support behind Sen. Benigno Aquino III.

I do not understand how a gun buy-back (CR, Aug. 27) “paves the way to peace.” Five previous efforts offer no indication of doing so.

“Library of Congress display makes Bibles come alive” (CR, Aug. 27) begins by saying “Separation of church and state is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.” This is patently incorrect. Rather the First Amendment affirms the freedom to worship as one pleases and the prevention of the establishment of a state-sponsored religion which was common in the colonies. That’s it! This widely-held canard dates to the 1947 case Everson v. Board of Education upholding New Jersey’s right to give funds to Catholic schools for textbooks and activities unrelated to religious propagation. In writing the majority opinion, Supreme Court Justice and ex-Ku Klux Klanner Hugo Black cited Jefferson’s 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists about the existence of “a wall of separation” between church and state. Since then the phrase has been regularly cited in the press and court opinions as if it is in the Constitution. This is not a trivial issue since it is the basis for the very successful movement to remove God from the public square. If anyone should know this, Catholic journalists should.

WARSAW, Poland – Two Polish archbishops welcomed Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s letter seeking a better understanding between Russians and Poles, published to coincide with Sept. 1 commemorations of the outbreak of World War II.