Bill who?
Bill Simon Jr won the Republican nomination in the California governor race on Tuesday. It's the shocking political upset of the … of the week, anyway. Everyone, including President Bush, expected former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan to be the victor. The two men were former fellow parishioners, but ran very different campaigns: Simon took strong political stands while Riordan hemmed and hawed on his positions. There are countless articles this week rushing to explain who this newcomer is, but Christianity Today readers will be interested in these details. His father was Nixon and Ford Treasury Secretary William E. Simon, whose courageous stands posthumously earned him the Wilberforce Award from Charles Colson's Prison Fellowship Ministries. He's also one of the major financial backers of PAX-TV, and served as vice chairman of the family-friendly network. He also used to host a Sunday morning show on the network, "Sunday With Simon" (guests included Colson, VeggieTales head Phil Vischer, and Os Guinness). He's also the vice chairman of Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, chairman emeritus of the crisis shelter Covenant House of California, and served on the board of The Heritage Foundation and other organizations. Oh yeah, and he's a big-time lawyer, too. (Marvin Olasky profiled Simon in World magazine last November.)

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  • Archdiocese nears accord in abuse suits | The Archdiocese of Boston has tentatively agreed to pay $20 million to $30 million to settle scores of cases against a former priest accused of molesting nearly 200 children in six parishes over 30 years. (The New York Times)

  • Sacrifice and celibacy | Beyond correcting the tragic mistakes made in our local church, the broader lesson we draw from these abuses is not that celibacy is no longer meaningful or possible but that we must once again learn how to believe (Kevin R. White, The Boston Globe)

  • A crisis of clergy, not of faith | Far-reaching reform can only take place when lay people have a more powerful voice in church decisions, on both the local and national levels. (Lisa Sowle Cahill, The New York Times)

  • Ouster of priest marks a change in Orange County diocese | Bishop Brown draws praise and criticism for his openness in handling the dismissal of Michael Pecharich, who molested a teen boy 19 years ago. (Los Angeles Times)

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