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Pope gathers world faiths "to fend off dark clouds of terrorism" The leaders of most of the world's major faiths carried lighted oil lamps signifying their hopes for global peace here as they joined Pope John Paul II at a ceremony marking the world day of prayer. The pontiff was joined by clerics of faiths ranging from Christianity to Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and traditional African religions in a call for an end to all war, terror and violence at the gathering in Assisi. "Violence never again! War never again! Terrorism never again!" urged the pope, who had invited religious ...

The Silent Imams By Charles Krauthammer President Bush visits the main Washington mosque and declares Islam a religion of peace. He urges Americans to publicly accompany and protect "women of cover" -- Islamic faithful wearing the shawl. He encourages American schoolchildren to find a Muslim pen pal. On Monday, he held the first White House Ramadan dinner -- "a way for the administration to publicly make the case that it is sensitive to Muslims." (CNN) Indeed, the administration has put together an entire "Ramadan public relations offensive" to "highlight its sensitivity to Islamic tradition." (Washington Post) Now, it is one ...

Americans are concerned about terrorism and our fragmented nation. But how can these problems be solved if we continue our current immigration policy? The terrorists of the Sept. 11 attack are all foreign born, with some entering this country legally. Conducting background checks of visa applicants, and tracking and deporting illegal and criminal aliens requires an enormous amount of time and resources. The Immigration and Naturalization Service is already overwhelmed with its current backlogs! How can the INS, our ports of entry and our consular offices be effective if they are continually burdened with over 700,000 applications for permanent residency ...

Presbyterians expect uneasy times ahead Conservative-liberal rifts weigh on delegates as gathering closes By Peter Smith, The Courier-Journal A year ago, advocates for gay inclusion in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seemed in retreat. The denomination's General Assembly, meeting in Long Beach, Calif., had just endorsed a ban on same-sex unions, four years after the church had banned gay clergy. But the tide has shifted. This year's General Assembly, meeting in Louisville, voted Friday to lift the ban on ordaining non-celibate homosexuals. And over the past year, presbyteries -- regional governing bodies -- rejected the Long Beach action, upholding a denominational ...

EXPERT SUPPORTS WACO-VIDEO CONCLUSIONS Says charge that FBI fired on fleeing Davidians 'well-justified' By Jon Dougherty An independent imagery expert has confirmed the findings contained in a video documentary that government agents fired weapons into the Branch Davidian complex as it burned in Waco, Texas, April 19, 1993. Also, he says his analysis of the film has turned up even more personnel – and gunfire – than previously discovered by the producer of a series of Waco documentaries. Michael A. Weatherford, a Colorado-based analyst and former Air Force master sergeant with extensive imagery intelligence experience, found that "the conclusions of ...