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• Judge: Church risks contempt charges in rape trial | The judge overseeing lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Boston warned the church yesterday that it would face "significant financial sanctions" and possibly contempt charges if it did not swiftly turn over records on an indicted priest (Boston Herald)
  
  
• Also: Judge warns archdiocese of heavy fines (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• Vatican, bishops agree on new rules | Policy will protect priests and children, say officials (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• In meeting with victims, Law begs forgiveness | Private talk marked by tears and anger (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• A deal on priest abuse lawsuits (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland)
  
  
• Pedophile left the clergy and became a government lawyer | Extraordinary as it sounds, this transition from one position of public trust to another is not particularly unusual. (The Dallas Morning News)

Child discipline and abuse:

• Former nun, 78, convicted of child abuse | Head of P.E.I. commune: 'She went beyond spanking to beating the children': judge. (National Post)
  
  
• No smacking guide launch | The campaign to outlaw the smacking of children gets a boost with a comprehensive guide promoting positive parenting. (The Scotsman)

Crime:

• Neb. couple fined for forced prayer | Assembly of God pastor Dwight Sandoz of Minatare. Nebraska, and his wife, Nadine, were found guilty of false imprisonment of a minor and fined $100 each (Associated Press)
  
  
• Priest: I have $inned | An embezzling priest, accused of lavishing stolen funds on a gay lover, walked out of a Queens courtroom yesterday with five years' probation, forced restitution and a sermon from the judge (New York Post)
  
  
• Also: Light penance for ripoff rev | Must pay back stolen 100G, but gets no jail time (New York Daily News)
  
  
• Church shooting kills Greenville man | Investigators arrest 16-year-old, looking for other suspects. (WYFF, South Carolina)

Religious freedom:

• Can this marriage be saved? | After 60 years of common-law marriage between the United States and Saudi Arabia, it's time to arrange a separation. We'll both be better off if we pull U.S. troops out of the kingdom. (Nicholas D. Kristof, The New York Times)
  
  
• In rumor of cow's death, a reason to kill | Hindu lynching of 5 rekindles national debate in India over faith and culture (The Washington Post)
  
  
• Justice delayed, they lose their faith | While most of the Dalits converted to Buddhism, one person embraced Islam and two others Christianity (The Indian Express)
  
  
• Religious development impressive in China: foreign religious leaders | A number of foreign religious leaders, attending the 50th anniversary of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary in east China's Jiangsu province, expressed their surprise at the favorable development of religion in China (People's Daily, China)
  
  
• Christians risk all for church in Israel, Orthodox nun says | Military checkpoints, curfews and violence remain oppressive issues for the economic and spiritual well-being of Palestinian Christians, says Agapia Stephanopoulos (The Grand Rapids Press)
  
  
• Religious tension growing in Russia | President Putin urges people not to incite ethnic conflicts (Pravda)

Talisman Energy pulls out of Sudan:

• Talisman Energy sells Sudan oil interests for $1.2 billion (Canadian Press)
  
  
• Talisman to pull out of Sudan (The Globe & Mail, Toronto)

Politics and law:

• Ashcroft accused of vendetta in suicide law | Justice Dept. defends challenge to Oregon (San Francisco Chronicle)
  
  

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October (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46