NEWS

BARRY’S BAY, ONT. - Soon Catholics will no longer see Vatican II as a break, but will interpret the Council’s teachings in light of the Church’s 2,000 years, says Pembroke Bishop Michael Mulhall.

WASHINGTON - The creation of the Office for Engagement with Faith-Based Communities at the U.S. State Department, announced Aug. 7, follows long-
standing criticism that U.S. diplomacy has been too separated from the realities of the importance of religion.

JERUSALEM - Coveted as a spiritual and political capital by both Israelis and Palestinians, the status of the city of Jerusalem has stood out as one of the pivotal topics in their ongoing peace negotiations.

Ontario Vincentians have sent more than their sympathy to citizens of Lac Mégantic, Que.

OTTAWA - REAL Women of Canada does not support persecution of homosexuals, despite what has been written in a media firestorm responding to the organization's Aug. 7 news release accusing Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird of abuse of office for funding homosexual activism overseas.

MONTREAL - As an emotional debate rages in Quebec over Bill 52 and the legalization of euthanasia, a Montreal church is slowly but surely being turned into a palliative care centre.

TORONTO - Organizers of 40 Days for Life in Toronto are appealing for help so that the upcoming campaign doesn’t end up being cancelled like this past spring’s event.

TORONTO - As the cash-strapped Toronto Transit Commission continues to wrestle with its future, there was no sign during a recent tour of St. Michael’s Cemetery that TTC founder George Washington Kiely is rolling in his grave.

TORONTO - International Christian Voice Canada will be celebrating Pakistan's National Minorities Day in Brampton, Ont., this Sunday.

NEW DELHI - Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo, Sri Lanka, expressed "shock and distress" in accusing the military of storming a Catholic church and firing on residents who had sought refuge there.