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WASHINGTON – An SS general close to Adolf Hitler foiled a plot to kidnap Pope Pius XII during World War II and to put the Vatican and its treasures under Nazi control, according to a new book. The book, “A Special Mission” by Dan Kurzman, refutes arguments that Pope Pius XII maintained a public silence about Nazi actions during World War II because he was anti-Semitic or because he was sympathetic toward Hitler.

For 32 years, Mark Amatucci has been doing what he loves, coaching basketball. But on May 30, he announced that he was stepping down as head varsity basketball coach at Calvert Hall College, Towson, effective June 1.

When St. Bernardine, Baltimore, parishioners were asked to vote for their favorite usher, the overwhelming victory of Edmondson Village resident Joe Oden Sr. didn’t surprise any of his colleagues.

The Division of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Baltimore will reconfigure its administrative team July 1, shifting responsibilities among the associate superintendents and elevating the current director of curriculum and professional development to associate superintendent.

The John Carroll School Bel Air; St. Mary’s High School, Annapolis; and St. Clare School, Essex, have reached Green School status and were officially recognized at the statewide Green School awards ceremony May 31 in Catonsville.

When Charles B. Reeves Jr., 84, was a child his father would take him and his brother to Kernan Hospital, Baltimore, as he “made rounds” on Sundays. Charles Reeves Sr. became president of the Kernan board of directors in 1936, serving for 19 years. In 1959, the junior Mr. Reeves joined the board to take over where his father left off.

RAPID CITY, S.D. – Bishop Blase J. Cupich of Rapid City has announced that the diocese has been awarded $100,000 in grant funding to promote excellence in preaching in his diocese. The three-year project, called “To Preach the Good Word Well,” will focus on how the word of God transforms the lives of clergy and laity and forms their vision as people of God. The purpose of the project is to assist clergy and laity in more effectively preaching and listening to the word of God.

WASHINGTON – For people in Hong Kong, the first 10 years of Chinese rule has been “a long series of frustrations,” said Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun. “On the surface, everything is like before,” Cardinal Zen told Catholic News Service in Washington May 30. However, he added, Chinese government authorities “are not keeping their promises.”

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the bishops of the Central African Republic to continue efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in their country. “Peace and national harmony are among the most urgent challenges to which the church in your country must respond,” the pope told the bishops June 1 at the end of their “ad limina” visits to the Vatican.