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[This is part of Catholic Analysis' special series on Pope Alexander VI. This part, the seventh, touches on his closeness with his native country. Read the sixth part.] Br. J.B. Darcy points out some necessary background information: "For centuries, Spain had been almost completely overridden by the Moors. The Spaniards had been trying to take back their country from the Moors for almost 800 years. By the middle of the 15th century, this reconquest was almost complete, but Spain was still a hodgepodge of competing principalities and, because of its constant state of warfare, still a very backward country." [1]...

A Spanish judge has ordered a father to pay his 29-year-old daughter €500 ($630) a month in financial assistance, citing the difficulties under 30s have in finding work because of the country's crisis. A man who has been been paying child support to his daughter for 24 years will have to do so for a little longer after a judge in southern Spain's Cádiz province ruled he would have to continue to support her until she completed her studies. The man who separated from the woman's mother nearly a quarter of a century ago had gone to court asking that...

A great many Republican House and Senate candidates may be staying away from talking immigration, or immigration reform this cycle, but not Jeb Bush. A funny thing happened on Jeb's recent visit to Colorado to stump for Republican Cory Gardner in his race against Democrat Mark Udall.

New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña and Milady Baez, the chief for “English-language learners,” are looking to increase dual-language programs, in which students receive instruction in both English and a second language. This is bad news for the kids and for New York City. I know from personal experience. Start with the big picture: Multilingualism in a person is a great asset — but a society with no common language is cursed. This holds double for New York, the ultimate city of immigrants. Without English holding it together, New York would soon cease to work.

TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) — A pet parrot that spoke with a British accent when it disappeared from its home four years ago has been reunited with its owner — and the bird now speaks Spanish.

A Spanish nurse being treated for ebola has said she did not tell doctors she had been in contact with the virus and only found out she had the disease after reading the news online. The 40-year-old told Spanish TV station Cuatro she did not consider she might have ebola until the last moment. She said: "I found out on my mobile phone. I felt something was up because to begin with the doctors and nurses in Alcorcon were coming in and out every hour and then they start to come in less often. "Then I was listening to them...

The moderator gave New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez the nod to start her opening statement. She smiled, then looked at the camera. "Welcome. And thank you very much for the opportunity to talk to the Hispanic people of my community," Martinez said in Spanish. It marked Martinez's entry in an emerging trend as Republicans and Democrats around the U.S. court Hispanic voters. From California to Texas, colleges and Spanish-language networks are hosting similar Spanish debates regardless of candidates' fluency amid the growing influence of Latinos as swing voters in key races.

A Spanish nurse who treated an Ebola victim in Madrid is thought to be the first person to have contracted the virus outside Africa, health officials say. The nurse tested positive for Ebola in initial tests and doctors are awaiting final results, according to reports. She was part of the team that treated Spanish priest Manuel Garcia Viejo, who died of Ebola on 25 September.

A Saturday morning debate between Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) and his Democratic challenger, Amanda Renteria, was hosted in Spanish, the Fresno Bee reports.

Casper, WY - Young children in Wyoming are not allowed to speak their first language of English in the classroom. Officials said it's part of a new program designed to help them speak Spanish. It's the first program of its kind in Wyoming's history. The students, whom are ages 5 and 6, speak English for half the day, then switch for the other half.

On November 12, 2013, Amy Lacey, the principal of Texas’ Hempstead Middle School, was placed on administrative leave and subsequently fired when she made a simple request to students: speak English. Now that the gag order has expired, Lacey is speaking out about what happened that day, dispelling rumors that she banned Spanish from the school’s campus. “I informed students it would be best to speak English in the classrooms to the extent possible, in order to help prepare them for [state] tests,” she wrote in a letter to the Houston Chronicle explaining her side of the story. “It is...

Several folks have contacted my office to ask me if I have been involved in discussions with my colleagues about immigration reform. (SNIP) 1) Am I discussing immigration reform with my colleagues? Absolutely. Not only that, if you have been able to participate in any of my town halls or Facebook forums, you know that I have been talking with EVERYONE about immigration for at least the last year. Talking about important issues is part of my job. (SNIP) 4) And finally, some clarity on where I stand on immigration reform generally: securing our borders is my first priority on...

There's only a few weeks left until the summer recess swallows Congress' legislative agenda for 2014, but a group of key Republicans haven't given up immigration quite yet. Helping guide a secretive effort to informally gauge support for legislative action on the issue before August are two expected names: Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Paul Ryan (R-WI). But joining them is a young conservative lawmaker whose efforts on the issue have shocked conservative power brokers and prompted a behind-the-scenes backlash. “Absolutely,” Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) told Breitbart News, “I have been talking about immigration with my colleagues for months. Talking...

First Ad Showcasing Immigrant Inventions Released Today at Event Featuring Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-25) and Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC-5). Watch the new ad: www.immigrantmade.org New York, NY — The Partnership for a New American Economy today launched a new ad campaign calling on Congress to act on immigration reform this year. The campaign includes a series of ads that highlight the need for immigration reform across broad sectors of the economy, including technology, business, and agriculture. The first ad – released today on DC Taxi TV, on television, and online – showcases the role of immigrant-led innovation in the creation...

Rare pictures of the U.S. Navy taken during the Spanish-American war have been unearthed after being found hidden away in storage by military archivists. A box, containing about 150 original glass plate photographs, was uncovered at the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington DC, featuring images of all aspects of the war from logistics to diplomacy. They were only brought to light again when the photo archive team was preparing for a major renovation and archivists Dave Colamaria and Jon Roscoe stumbled across the pictures.

All primary schools will be expected to teach foreign languages to pupils from 2014 as part of a major drive to boost education standards, it emerged. At least one subject from a seven-strong shortlist – French, German, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, Latin and ancient Greek – will be offered to seven- to 11-year-olds. The move – outlined in a consultation document published by the Department for Education – could result in a major rise in the number of pupils studying the classical languages at a young age....

Pennsylvania House Resolution 665 PA State Legislature page for HR665 Summary: A Resolution urging the Congress of the United States to designate Spanish as the official language of the United States and to mandate its use in all official acts of the Federal Government.

UCLA will foot the bill for its employees to learn to speak Spanish under a new program launched this month at the Southern California-based public university. Employees can take the class during working hours as well as get the cost of the Spanish course – $177 – reimbursed by their department budgets, campus officials told The College Fix. “It is important as a university and employer that we are on the cutting edge providing our staff with the necessary tools needed to meet the future,” Lee Walton, a UCLA diversity coordinator, said in an email to The College Fix. “The...

We've read the arguments for learning French, but let's be honest: Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, or any other language with growing global importance would be a better choice. Spanish may be the best choice of all for a second language, which is why its popularity in schools is soaring worldwide. Here are some reasons why you should estudiar. 1. Spanish isn't a foreign language anymore. In the U.S., Spanish is rising ahead of any other non-English language at a rapid pace, with a steady flow of new immigrants from Latin America and growth in the already large Hispanic population. According...

Promoting Republican outreach to Hispanics, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said this week that the GOP must expand its appeal if it expects to remain politically relevant. "The party has to be bigger across the country, not only appealing to people of various ethnic background but various economic backgrounds," Paul said Friday during a sweep through Texas, CNN reported. The remarks came following a meeting with George P. Bush, the 37-year-old son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who's vying to become the next Texas Land Commissioner. Paul, a conservative firebrand who's long-been critical of establishment Republicans like the Bush family,...