VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI will lead a full slate of Holy Week and Easter liturgies in Rome and at the Vatican, highlighting a busy papal schedule this spring. The Vatican announced Feb. 1 that the pope would preside over eight major events in the week leading up to Easter. The liturgies include a...Read More

PITTSBURGH – Charles Dougherty, president of Duquesne University, said politicians should not be speakers at events such as commencement. He made the announcement in a recent letter to the school’s board of directors and other university leaders. “Even if such a speaker steers clear of political content, it makes a political statement that we provided...Read More

The tribute to Teddy Kollek by George Weigel (CR, Jan. 18) was for a remarkable man who participated in the birth of Israel. Mr. Weigel, in his glowing tribute to Mayor Kollek, refers to the intifada and how it made cooperation with the Palestinians impossible. That remark reminds us that the struggle in the Middle...Read More

With stomachs rumbling as a wedding rehearsal proceeds, thoughts of the forthcoming meal may cause even the most alert participants to lose focus of their instructions. It’s traditionally up to the family of the groom to feed members of the wedding party after they have absorbed their responsibilities for the upcoming nuptials. Etiquette doesn’t dictate...Read More

After Sunday Mass Jan. 28 and to kick off Catholic Schools Week, St. Margaret School, Bel Air, will dedicate its middle school gymnasium in front of parishioners and school families with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a blessing by Monsignor G. Michael Schleupner, pastor, and performances by the school chorus and cheerleading squad.Read More

VATICAN CITY – Signaling continued improvement in Vatican-Vietnamese relations, Pope Benedict XVI hosted the first ever visit of a prime minister from Vietnam’s communist government. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and a nine-member government delegation, including the head of the government Commission for Religious Affairs, arrived at the Vatican Jan. 25. The Vatican said the...Read More

While presenting Science fair awards Jan. 19 to middle school students at St. Philip Neri School, Linthicum, Fran Meeks unsuspectingly received an award of her own – teacher of the year. The eighth grade science and homeroom teacher with 33 years of service received a plaque and $250 from VFW Post #304, Annapolis.Read More

MEXICO CITY – A Mexican bishop has cautioned against the reference to Jesus in the presidential oaths of office that were taken by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. “We have to be critical when people invoke God to justify terrorism, wars, the exploitation of the poor, inhumanity, totalitarianism and unheard of...Read More