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Pope John Paul II:

• Pope leaves Wednesday for 5-day trip | Visit to Azerbaijan and Bulgaria intended to improve relations with Muslims and Orthodox Christians (Associated Press)
  
  
• Healing old wounds | Bulgarians hope the Pope's trip will finally absolve them of suspicion in the 1981 assassination attempt (Time Europe)
  
  
• Bush won't raise Catholic sex abuse scandal in meeting with Pope (Associated Press)
  
  
• Pope appears weaker on birthday | Following days of intense speculation about his possible resignation due to poor health, Pope John Paul II today let a priest read his response to birthday greetings in an apparent effort to save his strength. (The Washington Post)

Church & state:

• Faith program challenged over use of taxpayer funds | The 5th U.S. Court of Appeals has sent the case back to federal district court to determine whether $8,000 awarded to the Jobs Partnership of Washington County (Texas) must be repaid to taxpayers. (Houston Chronicle)
  
  
• Monument battle heats up | American Center for Law and Justice offers free legal defense to keep Ten Commandments monument in public park (The Frederick [Md.] News-Post)
  
  
• An unholy link | A proposed federal law by a Tar Heel congressman would endanger the freedoms in church-state separation. (Editorial, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.)
  
  
• Church lawsuits aim to sidestep local zoning rules | At least seven institutions in California go to court using a federal law to overturn building restrictions. (Los Angeles Times)
  
  
• Bush signs clergy tax break bill | Measure protects the "parsonage exemption," a 1921 provision challenged in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (Associated Press)

Education:

• Evolution supporters, foes say law is on their side | At issue is one sentence in report accompanying new education reform act (Associated Press)
  
  
• Dancer, church reach accord | Christina Silvas will stop stripping for three weeks as daughter graduates from kindergarten (The Sacramento [Calif.] Bee)
  
  
• Also: They'll know we're Christians by our exotic dancing | A single mother condemned by her church for her job is holier than it is. (Salon.com)
  
  
• Calvin College clarifies policy requiring faculty to send their children to Christian schools | Exceptions spelled out (The Grand Rapids [Mich.] Press)

Abuse scandal:

• Law's explanation finds some skeptics, some believers | Critics predict letter will only worsen crisis (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• Tough policies on priests stir some dissension in the pews | Some Roman Catholic parishioners are protesting that new zero-tolerance rules on sexual abuse enacted by dioceses amount to a witch hunt. (The New York Times)
  
  
• Another ugly turn | The burgeoning sexual abuse scandal seems to be without end (Editorial, The Washington Post)
  
  
• After accused priest's suicide, shock and second thoughts | The life of the Rev. Alfred J. Bietighofer, a tall, slim, blunt-spoken man, was full of apparent contradictions, right to the end. (The New York Times)
  
  
• A Vatican lawyer says bishops should not reveal abuse claims | The article in the magazine Civilta Cattolica by the Rev. Gianfranco Ghirlanda, dean of the canon law faculty at Gregorian University in Rome, is the second indication in recent weeks that inside the Vatican, influential church officials may disapprove of the response of American bishops to the abuse scandal. (The New York Times)
  
  
• Church panels' role under review | Md. Priest's Shooting Focuses Attention on Advisory Groups (The Washington Post)
  
  
• Abuse policy has roots in Middle Ages | Process Set Up to Prevent Arbitrary Dismissals (The Washington Post)
  
  

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May (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46