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Monday and Thrsday mornings, 7/7 and 7/10Kohen--Numbers 22:2-4Levi--vs. 5-7Yisra'el--vs. 8-12 Strday 7/12--Shabbat Parashat BalaqMORNING Kohen--Numbers 22:2-12Levi--22:13-20Shelishi--22:21-38Revi`i--22:39-23:12Chamishi--23:13-26Shishi--23:27-24:13Shevi`i--24:14-25:9Maftir--25:7-9Haftarah--Micah 5:6-6:8 EVENING Kohen--Numbers 25:10-12Levi--25:13-15Yisra'el--25:16-26:4

The requisite miracle for his canonization approved in May, the Pope yesterday green-lighted the elevation to sainthood of Bl Damien deVeuster -- the Belgian priest (1840-89) who spent his life ministering to the leper community on the Hawaiian island of Molokai, eventually contracting and dying of the disease. Beatified in 1995, the news gives Stateside Catholicism its seventh product raised to the honors of the altar, and is notable on a global level given the widespread devotion to Bl Damien as unofficial patron of HIV/AIDS patients. Benedict XVI accepted 13 decrees of miracles, martyrdom and heroic virtue presented to...

Islam Factor is a bold experiment in Muslim freedom of expression, freedom of speech and cooperation with people from all walks of life. Some who follow, agree with or are amicable to Islam and some who are opposed. Whether you agree with or follow Islam or not, whether you oppose Islam or not, no matter the nation, race, religion or creed we are from, we all have one thing in common. We all are human-beings with the same basic needs, hopes and emotions. Our forum hopes to promote an almost unheard of tolerance (that eludes many Muslim groups) that transcends...

Rome, Jul. 4, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) is considering changes in the Mass, according to an Italian publication. The weekly Panorama reports that the Holy Father has asked the Congregation for Divine Worship to study the possibility of changes that would include using Latin in the Eucharistic Prayer and moving the Sign of Peace to the Offertory. Note: CWN has not been able to confirm the accuracy of the Panorama report. The New Liturgical Movement web site, which brought the Italian report to the attention of English-speaking readers, cautioned that the Panorama report should be...

Book review of George Weigel's Against the Grain: Christianity and Democracy, War and PeaceGeorge Weigel gives Christian answers to the West’s most pressing questions.___ Few commentators these days recognize that the war against radical Islam is the latest battle in a 14-century-long spiritual conflict between two very different schools of belief about man’s relationship to God. Catholic theologian and nationally syndicated columnist George Weigel is a happy exception, and this alone makes him an invaluable source for anyone wanting to understand what this war is about. Unlike those who try to comprehend jihadist violence solely in materialist terms, Weigel focuses...

Rembember!

Our recent coverage of the scandal at Richmond Catholic Charities ( CCR) tells a sordid tale of tragedy, secrecy, and sub­terfuge. But this incident, sorrowful as it is, also reveals a deeper and more per­vasive problem that has plagued the Church in America for decades. That problem is the power of rogue bureaucra­cies that have hijacked the work of the Church and secularized it. In many cas­es, like that in Richmond, they have to­tally corrupted it. Sometimes we have to wonder if the chanceries have learned anything from the clerical abuse scandals and cover- ups that have so damaged the...

On Paul's World and Time Period "I Begin Today a New Cycle of Catecheses, Dedicated to the Great Apostle" VATICAN CITY, JULY 2, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square. On the occasion of the Pauline Year, the Holy Father began a new cycle of catecheses today, dedicated to the figure and thought of St. Paul. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, I would like to begin today a new cycle of catecheses, dedicated to the great Apostle St. Paul. To him, as you know, I...

The three o’clock traffic in downtown Lakeland wasn’t bad. I decided to ride by Lake Mirror since it was such a beautiful afternoon. The sun warmed the gentle breeze as it blew across the water where Blinky the one eyed alligator once lived and enjoyed celebrity status in the downtown area. Somewhere around here is the site of the old building where my grandmother worked. She was the first female manager in the Kress department store chain and I spent many a day hanging out here, looking for Blinky, and watching the people come and go. This is my past....

Catholics pray next to the coffin of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati at St. Benedict's Church in Sydney, Australia, July 2. The body of Blessed Pier Giorgio, who died in 1925, arrived from Turin, Italy, for World Youth Day. Blessed Pier Giorgio has a following among young Catholics. (CNS/Reuters) Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati is a saint for the modern world, and especially for the young people of our time. Born in 1901 in Turin, Italy, his time on earth was short-only 24 years-but he filled it passionately with holy living. Pier Giorgio was a model of virtue, a "man of...

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 Castrillón satisfied with SSPX answer SSPX will give heed to the five points From the blog of Andrea Tornielli (Vatican correspondent for Il Giornale): I have learned from secure sources that, contrary to what has appeared in certain articles, the response of the Fraternity [of Saint Pius X - FSSPX/SSPX] to the letter of Cardinal Castrillón has not in fact been negative. The Cardinal is satisfied with it, has responded to Fellay, and has promptly delivered the letter of the Fraternity to Benedict XVI. After the deadline of the end of June, the Lefebvrists [sic] ask...

The atheist Freedom from Religion Foundation has taken its anti-faith message to Denver, the site of the Democratic National Convention. Their "Imagine No Religion" sign demands Denver residents and Democratic Party officials preparing for the convention to envision an America without people who believe in God. In response, Bishop Council Nedd, chairman of the In God We Trust has asked Senator Barack Obama to condemn the sign's message. The Freedom from Religion Foundation President, Dan Barker, has called Christianity "and enemy to humanity" and "the antithesis of freedom." In his letter to Senator Obama Nedd states, "By placing their billboard...

Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention have condemned sexual predators and are urging churches to flush out molesters using federal background checks. But a simple search on the convention's Web site shows they have yet to purge their own house of predators. SBC's MinisterSearch, a Web database for finding clergy members, contains the names of pastors both indicted and convicted of sexual abuse. Among them is a former Cordova pastor charged in October with rape and sexual battery. "It's a double standard," said David Brown, an abuse victim and coordinator for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests in...

Bishop of Richmond knew charity staff planned to help minor get abortion Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo of the Diocese of Richmond was told that a diocesan charity planned to help a 16-year-old ward of the federal government obtain an abortion in January and was told he could not prevent the action. Stephen Neill, spokesman for the Diocese of Richmond, told the Washington Times that Bishop DiLorenzo “was told erroneously that everything was in place and there was nothing he could do to stop it.” “He is very apologetic about the whole episode,” Neill continued. “It is very awkward, it is...

VATICAN CITY, JULY 1, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI will take up his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, some 19 miles south of Rome, on Wednesday. During the summer period, all private and special audiences will be suspended, reported a communiqué released today from the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household. On the first and last Sundays of July (the 6th and 27th) the Pope will pray the Angelus from the courtyard there. For the other two Sundays, he will be in Australia for World Youth Day. This week's general audience will be the only one in July. General audiences will resume...

From the FR Religion Moderator: Ecumenic threads are closed to antagonism. To antagonize is to incur or to provoke hostility in others.Therefore “anti” posters must not try to finesse the guidelines by asking loaded questions, using inflammatory taglines, gratuitous quote mining or trying to slip in an “anti” or “ex” article under the color of the “ecumenic” tag. Posters who try to tear down other’s beliefs or use subterfuge to accomplish the same goal are the disrupters on ecumenic threads and will be booted from the thread and/or suspended. The Situation in the Church and Relations with Rome A transcription...

Tuesday, July 01, 2008 Canonical Good Standing 1 July, 2008 Feast of the Precious Blood My dear friends, I am happy to inform you that last June 18th, before Cardinal Castrillon and the members of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei in Rome, I humbly petitioned the Holy See on my own behalf and on behalf of the monastery council for our priestly suspensions to be lifted. On June 26th I received word that the Holy See had granted our petition. All canonical censures have been lifted.

1 July, 2008 Feast of the Precious Blood My dear friends, I am happy to inform you that last June 18th, before Cardinal Castrillon and the members of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei in Rome, I humbly petitioned the Holy See on my own behalf and on behalf of the monastery council for our priestly suspensions to be lifted. On June 26th I received word that the Holy See had granted our petition. All canonical censures have been lifted. Our community now truly rejoices in undisputed and peaceful posession of Communion with the Holy See because our priests are now...

The Archbishop of Canterbury has rounded on rebel Anglicans seeking to bypass his authority over issues such as homosexuality and women priests. Dr Rowan Williams adopted unusually forthright language to accuse the hardline traditionalists of lacking legitimacy One of his staff even suggested the rebels were becoming a "Protestant sect". The Archbishop's comments follow the creation at the weekend of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Foca), a global network for millions of Anglicans unhappy at the ordination of the openly homosexual Bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson. Dr Williams called for patience from those who want to create an...

Many people have been taught — quite wrongly — that there will not be any Christians here on Earth when The Tribulation begins. Those misguided Christians are basing their hopes on a "get out of jail free card" called a "Pre-Tribulational Rapture." The idea that The Rapture — the sudden, bodily "snatching away" of Christians up into Heaven — will occur prior to The Tribulation is a prophetic equivalent of a "prosperity gospel" that gives people a false sense of hope and security. That false sense could easily usher in the great "falling away." For several months, I've been doing...

NEWS RELEASE MONDAY, JUNE 30, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CATHOLIC ACTION LEAGUE MOURNS CLOSING OF HOLY TRINITY CHURCH The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts today mourned the closing of the venerable Holy Trinity church in Boston's South End. The parish was suppressed today by a decree of Sean Cardinal O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston. The last masses were celebrated yesterday, June 29th, on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Holy Trinity was the last German Catholic parish in New England, and was one of only two venues in the Archdiocese which offered weekly Sunday celebrations of the Traditional Latin Mass....

Vatican plea to uncover Virgin Mary and show her breast-feeding baby Jesus By Simon Caldwell Last updated at 11:09 PM on 23rd June 2008 [...] ...artists later depicted the nursing Mary fully clothed because the Protestant reformers were generally critical of "the carnality and unbecoming nature of many sacred images". But Miss Scaraffia argued that later depictions had also diminished the Madonna’ s human side "that touches the hearts and faith of the devout". Miss Scaraffia said that when the early Christian artists represented the Virgin breast-feeding they had sought to reveal the reality of God's incarnation. [...] Images of...

Viewers of tonight's season premiere of "History Detectives" will learn that a book about the horrors of "Female Life Among the Mormons" is a work of fiction. And the woman who owns the 1856 volume will be "disappointed" by that news. "History Detectives" (8 p.m., Ch. 7) is a fascinating series in which historical objects are examined to determine if they're authentic. (Tonight's other two segments feature a World War II diary and a coin shot by Annie Oakley.) In the case of the 1856 book about the horrors of Mormon polygamy, Marcie Waterman Murray of Stanfordville, N.Y., bought it...

We must tread very lightly through this part of our journey. The terrain here has many pitfalls. We do not want to stumble and fall into the sin of racism or ethnocentrism. Sometimes people trip themselves up and are unable to continue on the path toward solidarity. This can be likened to spraining an ankle. Although we may have the intellectual desire to continue, we have become injured and it seems impossible to go on.

Believing that God has called them to a "new work", Primates at the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) announced tonight that they have launched a movement of Confessing Anglicans that will, in effect, be a rival Anglican Communion. Tomorrow, when orthodox Anglicans meet for their final day of pilgrimage, 1,200 representatives including 303 bishops of the Anglican Communion representing more than 70% of the Communion, will announce the formation of a new Anglican body that will affirm "'the faith once for all delivered to the saints"' as a bulwark against the growing and rampant liberalism in the mostly Western church....

The Roman Catholic bishop of Richmond was told that a diocesan charity planned to help a teenage foster child get an abortion in January and did not try to prevent the procedure. Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo "was told erroneously that everything was in place and there was nothing he could do to stop it," said Steve Neill, Bishop DiLorenzo's communications officer. "He is very apologetic about the whole episode. "It is very awkward, it is very embarrassing. A human life was taken. He certainly has not taken it lightly in any way. He is clearly opposed to abortion." Mr. Neill...

In a research brief this month, Bradford Wilcox, a sociology professor at the University of Virginia, analyzed three national studies in order to discover if "there is any evidence that religion is playing a role in encouraging a strong family orientation among contemporary American men?" His research led him to conclude that men who regularly attend Christian services are engaged in happier and stronger marriages and are more involved in the lives of their children than men who do not. "70 percent of husbands who attend church regularly report they are 'very happy' in their marriages, compared to 59 percent...

Monday morning, 6/30Kohen--Numbers 19:1-6Levi--vs. 7-9Yisra'el--vs. 10-17 Thrsday 7/3--First Day Ro'sh Chodesh TammuzKohen--Numbers 28:1-3Levi--vs. 3-5Shelishi--vs. 6-10Revi`i--vs. 11-15 Frday 7/4--Second Day Ro'sh Chodesh TammuzKohen--Numbers 28:1-3Levi--vs. 3-5Shelishi--vs. 6-10Revi`i--vs. 11-15 Strday 7/5--Shabbat Parashat ChuqqatMORNING Kohen--Numbers 19:1-17Levi--19:18-20:6Shelishi--20:7-13Revi`i--20:14-21Chamishi--20:22-21:9Shishi--21:10-20Shevi`i--21:21-22:1Maftir--21:34-22:1Haftarah--Judges 11:1-33 EVENING Kohen--Numbers 22:2-4Levi--vs. 5-7Yisra'el--vs. 8-12

STATEMENT ON THE GLOBAL ANGLICAN FUTURE Praise the LORD! It is good to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting. The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. (Psalm 147:1-2) Brothers and Sisters in Christ: We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, send you greetings from Jerusalem! Introduction The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), which was held in Jerusalem from 22-29 June 2008, is a spiritual movement to preserve and promote the truth and power of the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ as we Anglicans...

The schismatic traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) has reacted to a Vatican ultimatum by challenging the conditions Rome set for its return to the Catholic fold. By sending this in a letter, SSPX leader Bishop Bernard Fellay partly fulfilled one condition of the ultimatum, i.e. answering by the end of this month. But he did not fulfill the more important other half of that requirement, i.e. that he respond positively. In fact, he told the Vatican that other conditions — to accept papal authority and not criticise the pope — were too vague to be accepted, according to...

Just minutes ago, conservative Anglicans announced what they are calling “The Jerusalem Declaration,” which states their intention to erect a new “fellowship of confessing Anglicans.” "We grieve for the spiritual decline in the most economically developed nations, where the forces of militant secularism and pluralism are eating away the fabric of society and churches are compromised and enfeebled in their witness…Sadly, this crisis has torn the fabric of the Communion in such a way that it cannot simply be patched back together."... The declaration is the unanimous product of the bishops and archbishops meeting here in Jerusalem, whose dioceses together...

Vivificat's irregular news and commentary roundup.Folks, a very active few weeks in terms of events and happenings. Let us thus begin.Archbishop Raymond Burke has disciplined a Sister of Charity who has promoted and participated in an attempt to ordain two women to the priesthood. Sister Louise Lears was accused of four canonical delicts related to her activism in favor of women's ordination. She has been essentially suspended from any ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Louis pending her repentance and reconciliation. In related news, Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis, Missouri, has been named by Pope Benedict XVI to head...

QUEBEC CITY, June 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Cardinal Justin Rigali, the Archbishop of Philadelphia is always ready to answer questions, even the hard ones. He spoke with LifeSiteNews.com last week at the International Eucharistic Congress about the Church's teaching on sexuality, in the context of the current attack on the traditional definition of marriage. Asked why it has become more common to see some elements within the Church promoting what is contrary to official Church teaching on homosexuality, Cardinal Rigali was quick to point out that it is not 'the Church' but members of the Church which do so at...

June 26, 2008 STATEMENT REGARDING THE CANONICAL DISCIPLINE OF SISTER LOUISE LEARS, S.C. After a canonical process of several months, Archbishop Raymond Burke has, today, decided the case of Sister Louise Lears, S.C., a member of the “pastoral team” at Saint Cronan Parish, who was accused of four delicts, all connected with her encouragement of, promotion of and participation in the attempted ordination of two women to the Sacred Priesthood at a local synagogue in November of last year. Delicts, which must be published in the Church, are grave and external violations against the Catholic faith or moral teaching. A...

The Texas Supreme Court, showing continued deference to religious practice, on Friday tossed out a $188,000 judgment against members of a Pentecostal church who restrained a teenager they feared had come under demonic influence. Laura Schubert claimed that rough handling during the hours-long 1996 incident — involving the "laying on of hands" and intensive prayer — left her disabled by post-traumatic stress disorder. Jurors agreed, finding that Schubert, then 17, was falsely imprisoned and assaulted by a pastor, youth minister and members of Pleasant Glade Assembly of God church in suburban Fort Worth. However, the state Supreme Court dismissed Schubert's...

A Culpeper pastor faces a possible 310-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to felony fraud charges. The Rev. Charles Shifflett, pastor of First Baptist Church in Culpeper and former pastor of Calvary Baptist Church there, pleaded guilty to a total of 20 felonies and one misdemeanor, prosecutors announced today. Nine of the charges involving obtaining money by false pretenses from Calvary Baptist Church from 2002-05, while Shifflett was the pastor. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud involving a workers compensation award, and five counts of obtaining money under false pretenses from two separate insurance companies, and three...

VIRGINIA, June 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a research brief this month, Bradford Wilcox, a sociology professor at the University of Virginia, analyzed three national studies in order to discover if "there is any evidence that religion is playing a role in encouraging a strong family orientation among contemporary American men?"   His research led him to conclude that men who regularly attend Christian services are engaged in happier and stronger marriages and are more involved in the lives of their children than men who do not. "70 percent of husbands who attend church regularly report they are 'very happy'...

Leaders Commission Todd Bentley at ‘Lakeland Outpouring’ The special service was billed by leaders as one of the greatest moments in revival history   [06.24.08] Canadian revivalist Todd Bentley, leader of the “Lakeland Outpouring,� was commissioned as an evangelist last night in a special ceremony in Lakeland, Fla., that was broadcast into millions of homes by God TV.   California pastors Ché Ahn and Bill Johnson, along with Canadian pastor John Arnott, laid hands on the 32-year-old Bentley while Peter Wagner, leader of the International Coalition of Apostles, read a statement about the need for apostolic alignment. Other prominent leaders...

Moscow, June 27, Interfax - At its final Friday session, the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church ruled that the Bishop of Anadyr and Chukotka Diomid should be defrocked. An absolute majority of the Bishops' Council (with three abstainers) voted for "stripping Diomid of priestly privileges" due to his disobedience to hierarchy, Interfax-Religion reports. "The Council calls Diomid to immediately repent and stop his activity. If he refuses, the Council's ruling shall be enforced," one of the Council's participants told to the agency. The Council also fixed the deadline for such repentance - before the next session of the...

Not directly liturgical news, but since His Excellency Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke of Saint Louis has been such an outstanding supporter of both the usus antiquior and a exemplary celebration of the ordinary form of the Roman Rite, not to mention his stalwart upholding of doctrinal orthodoxy, it is worth mentioning that today "The Holy Father has named Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura H.E. Mgr. Raymond Leo Burke, until now Archbishop of Saint Louis." (Source: Press Bulletin of the Holy See) While it is understandable that Catholics in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis and in the...

Holy Trinity Closing, But Welcoming Doors Not Opening – Yet No German, Latin Masses for Displaced Parishioners; Reopening of Homeless Program Delayed BOSTON – June 26 – On Sunday, June 29, Holy Trinity parishioners will hear for the first time the decree that formally closes the 164-year-old South End parish effective the following day, June 30. Despite the short interval between the formal announcement and the closure, parishioners will immediately appeal the decision to Cardinal Sean O’Malley. The decree, signed early this week but yet to be formally read, will designate the Cathedral of the Holy Cross as the welcoming...

PARIS (Reuters) - The leader of a breakaway traditionalist Catholic group has rejected a Vatican offer to rejoin Rome, accusing Pope Benedict of trying to silence dissenting voices. Bishop Bernard Fellay, head of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) that broke with Rome 20 years ago, said conditions set by the Vatican amounted to muzzling the traditionalists who claim to be the only true Catholics since Church reforms in the 1960s.

Anglicanism Nearly Finished Destroying Itself It seems geologic ages of time since Sayers, Williams and Lewis walked the earth. And yet it's only been 50-60 years. Think about that when somebody says "What could happen in the space of a few years?" Stable societies can, under the right circumstances, collapse with incredible speed. Breaking the bonds of communion Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Post  Published: Thursday, June 26, 2008 Formal arrangements have yet to be made, but it now appears that the critical decisions have already been taken for a dissolution of the Anglican Communion. Every 10 years, all...

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has just released its new findings on Americans and their attitudes toward religion, God and doctrine. It is not too surprising that most of those surveyed are suffering from a bit of confusion when it comes to the difference between faith in God and claiming to be somehow associated with religion.  What moved me the most about this survey was, sadly, the conundrum we face in the Catholic Church, which is actually a very good example of why the results from the Pew survey are not at all extraordinary. They may be...

For a century the Lambeth Conference has been one of the events keeping intact this largest Protestant church grouping in the world. Now, for the first time, and just when the Anglican Communion is most at risk of disintegration, almost a third of the bishops invited to attend have decided to boycott the meeting. It is a blow to the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams who wants to use the conference to heal the rift over sexuality which has driven the Communion to the brink of a permanent split. The 250 bishops who have said they will stay away from...

On St. Maximus the Confessor "He Always Had As His Compass the Concrete Reality of the World" VATICAN CITY, JUNE 25, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square, dedicated to the figure of Saint Maximus the Confessor. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I would like to present the figure of one of the great Fathers of the Eastern Church of later times. He is a monk, St. Maximus, who merited from Christian tradition the title of Confessor because of the intrepid courage with which...

True, maximum freedom does not mean saying No. It means saying yes, opening up and conforming one’s will to that of God. This is the lesson inspired by the example of Saint Maximus, one of the great Fathers of the Eastern Church, whose figure Benedict XVI presented today. He was named the Confessor for the courage with which he bore witnessed and “confessed” his faith, said the Pope. Born in Palestine in 580 AD Maximus began a life of monasticism and scriptural studies. From Jerusalem he moved to Constantinople then Africa where he distinguished himself by his steadfast defence of...

Washington DC, Jun 25, 2008 / 01:23 am (CNA).- A new survey from Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) indicates that Catholics may lean towards voting for the Democratic candidate for president in the 2008 election.The CARA polling shows that only 21 percent of all Catholics are either strongly or weakly affiliated with the Republican Party in 2008, compared to 31 percent in 2004. Fewer Catholics identify themselves as Republicans than in any year since 2000.Among all adult Catholics, 38 percent identify as a weak or strong Democrat, while 22 percent lean Democratic. Republicans are...

New York, Jun 24, 2008 / 11:59 pm (CNA).- An Italian businessman who claimed to have close connections with the Vatican in his appeals to real estate investors was arrested on Tuesday on charges of operating a fraudulent real estate scheme.The 29-year-old Raffaello Follieri was charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering in a U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Reuters reports.According to federal prosecutors and the FBI, Follieri is accused of misleading investors into believing he has close links with the Vatican that would enable him to buy the Catholic Church’s unwanted U.S. real estate at a discount.Follieri and...

NEW DELHI: With Democrat senator Barack Obama busy in the run-up to the US presidential polls, a group of well-wishers in the capital have decided to send him a symbol of his lucky charm, Lord Hanuman, to help him emerge victorious. Obama's representative Carolyn Sauvage-Mar on Tuesday received a gold-plated two-feet-high idol which she will pass it on to the Obama after it is sanctified. The idol is being presented to Obama as he is reported to be a Lord Hanuman devotee and carries with him a locket of the monkey god along with other good luck charms. An hour-long...