President Barack Obama called Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan on Feb. 23 to congratulate the Milwaukee archbishop on his appointment as head of the New York Archdiocese. Pope Benedict named Dolan as successor to Cardinal Edward Egan on Feb. 23. • With parliamentary elections scheduled for April 22,
Signs Of the Times
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Pope Meets Pelosi
Pope Benedict XVI met privately on Feb. 18 with Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representa-tives, and told her that all Catholics, especially those who are lawmakers, must work to protect human life at every stage. “His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of t
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Murphy-OConnor Addresses Anglicans
Divisions within the worldwide Anglican Communion impoverish all of Christianity, said Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor of Westminster during a speech to the General Synod of the Church of England on Feb. 9. “Let me be frank,” Murphy-O’Connor told the governing body of the An
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Commission Rallies Support for Zimbabwe
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe will use its nationwide network to rally support for rebuilding Zimbabwe following the recent formation of a unity government. “The new administration will need to work hard to end the human suffering” in Zimbabwe, which faces ram
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Austrian Withdraws After Opposition
Bishop-designate Gerhard Wagner has asked Pope Benedict XVI to withdraw his nomination as auxiliary bishop of Linz, in the face of fierce criticism. The uproar stemmed mainly from comments Wagner made implying that Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was a punishment from God for sins committed in New Orlean
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Korean Cardinal, Rights Advocate, Dead
Koreas first cardinal, an outspoken defender of human rights, died in Seoul, South Korea, on Feb. 16. At the time of his death, Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan was the longest-serving cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. Born in Daegu in May 1922, the late cardinal was ordained a priest in 1951. Aft
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News Briefs
• The John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel has announced that it donated more than $2 million last year to fight desertification and promote rural development in nine African countries. • Bishop Jesús González de Zarate Salas of Caracas, Venezuela, said on Feb. 15 that the
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Arab Christians Assess Election Results
In Israel, the government is like a broken glass shattered into a bunch of little pieces.”
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Religious in Amazon Face Threats
Bishop Erwin Krautler of Xingu, Brazil, remembers the first time he received a death threat. “It was the exact day I completed 25 years as a bishop,” he recalled. Later that year, a local paper even announced the day his assassination would be expected. Bishop Krautler says there are sev