http://www.wtopnews.com/emedia/114012.mp3

After years of near silence on the issue of the abuse and rape of children at the hands of pedophile priests, Pope Benedict XVI made public acknowledgement of the scandal a central theme of his first visit to the United States as head of the church. The first mention of the scandal came while still en route from Rome when he told reporters he was “deeply ashamed” about the scandal that had caused “great suffering.” Read the rest of this entry »

http://www.wtopnews.com/emedia/116347.mp3

In March 2003, just hours after the first American cruise missiles slammed into Baghdad, the Vatican proclaimed the nascent conflict a “defeat for reason and for the gospel.” It was a war, said papal confidant Cardinal Roberto Tucci, that was “beyond all legality and all international legitimacy.” Strong words coming from the clerical leaders of some 1.5 billion Roman Catholics and indicative of the rift that still dogs relations between the president and the pope. Read the rest of this entry »

The Supreme Court today upheld the use of a three-drug cocktail for execution by lethal injection, ending a de facto moratorium on the practice in place since September. By a 7-to-2 vote, the justices rejected a challenge to the state of Kentucky’s use of three chemicals to execute criminals. The two death row inmates in the case had not asked the court to spare them execution but rather that the state use a different type of drug to conduct the execution. For past coverage, see “The Court Puts Death on Hold.”