NEWS

{mosimage}PALO RALO, Honduras - Nine years ago, Rodolfo Arteaga was sitting on a gold mine — literally. In fact, so was his village of Palo Ralo, in the central Siria Valley of Honduras.

But Arteaga said his and his family’s lives have not improved and he wishes he could turn back the clock.

{mosimage}OTTAWA - The pilgrims carrying the Ark of the New Covenant have faced snow and rain and shine.  They have become experts in caring for blisters. Some of them have sunburns on their faces.

Americans have come a long way from being a people who couldn't bring themselves to electing a Catholic president. Today, a few days before Pope Benedict's arrival on his first visit to the United States, a new poll suggests that, by and large, Americans are reasonably well-disposed toward the German pontiff.

Papal trips don't just happen. They are the sum of a million details, signed, sealed and delivered by an army of church workers. Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United States is a case in point. My friend John Thavis, Rome bureau chief for Catholic News Service, offers an interesting glimpse behind the scenes in one of his Rome audio reports.

What's he going to talk about? Everyone has their own idea about what Pope Benedict XVI will discuss during his first papal visit to the United States. So, to make it easy and eliminate the guesswork, His Holiness has given us all a little glimpse of what's in store.

{mosimage}OTTAWA - Catholic Insight magazine has paid $6,000 in legal fees fighting a human rights “hate” complaint, yet no hearing date is in sight.

For a small circulation (3,500 subscribers) conservative specialty magazine, “it has cost us quite a bit,” said the magazine’s editor, Basilian Father Alphonse de Valk.

This newspaper is heading into some uncharted territory (at least for us) in our coverage of Pope Benedict's first North American visit. First, we are experimenting with this blog and offering daily news coverage on the web site. And, second, we will be collaborating with Salt+Light TV , Canada's Catholic television network, to provide a richer Canadian perspective on the news.