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Pope names 37 new cardinals
Archbishops of New York and Washington, D.C., as well as renowned Jesuit theologian Avery Dulles are among the 37 appointments to the College of Cardinals. When they take their red hats February 21, there will be 128 voting cardinals—118 of them appointed by John Paul II. "The frail, 81-year-old pope seemed intent on packing the college with loyalists while he still can," reports The New York Times. "Though he made a point after reading out the names from his balcony above St. Peter's Square, of saying that 'in the future' he hoped to honor still more." More than a quarter of the names on the pope's list are from Latin America. Others are from India, Ivory Coast, Vietnam, and elsewhere. USA Today says the list "extends [Pope John Paul II's] globalization of Catholic Church leadership and ensures a legacy of his conservative views for years to come."

Prolife activists take exception to Laura Bush's comments
As noted in last Friday's Weblog, Laura Bush said on NBC's Today show that Roe v. Wade should stay the law of the land. As expected, prolife activists were agitated. "[Mrs. Bush's statement] is not very helpful," Nellie Gray, president of the March for Life Fund, told ABCNews.com. "I would have thought that if she didn't want to have Roe vs. Wade overturned, she would have made it clear somewhere along the way on the campaign trail." Similarly, Colleen Parro of the Republican National Coalition for Life told the Web site, "Millions of pro-life people were led to believe … that George Bush was more pro-life than he said he was. The fact that Mrs. Bush spoke her mind … should be upsetting to them — to everybody who supported George Bush thinking that he was pro-life." Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer said he wouldn't comment, but did add that Laura Bush's remark was her "personal views," perhaps trying to distance them from those of her husband. In any case, more articles ran over the weekend about Bush and abortion than Weblog can fit into today's news-heavy listing. We'll get to them tomorrow.

Jesse Jackson changes his mind on taking a break:

• Jackson will come back | Civil rights leader has changed his mind; will return to public life next week (Associated Press)
• Fallen hero? | Black community seems ready to forgive Jackson (ABCNews)

Religion and politics:

• Religion preferred—but still feared | Not since John F. Kennedy has there been as much concern about the religion of a would-be federal officeholder (Mark Silk, The Hartford Courant)
• Are politicians hiding behind terms like 'faith heritage' to avoid stigma? (Los Angeles Times)
• Churches may soon own TV licences | U.K. government considering relaxing ban on religious organizations owning television broadcast licenses (The Guardian, London)
• Connecticut city attempts to limit domestic devotions (The Washington Times)

Church and denominational life:

• Massachusetts, Rhode Island Councils of Churches criticize lack of disability access (The Boston Globe)
• Pastors with a past | Motorcycle-riding missionaries draw from their own unchurched years in ministering to today's bikers. (The Indianapolis Star)
• Church divorce bar to be lifted (The Sunday Times, London)
• Rising heat bills squeeze churches (The Cincinnati Post)
• Indianapolis Baptist Temple tells militia to stay away (The Indianapolis Star)
• Christian novel comes to big screen | Romeo, Michigan, church features Left Behind, a film about Christ's return, before it hits theaters (The Detroit News)

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January (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45