April 9, 2008

BENEDICT XVI
Pope's U.S. visit could have political ripples
Tracy Wilkinson/Los Angeles Times (04/09/2008)
Though Benedict XVI isn't likely to talk about the presidential campaign, the candidates may seek to tap the influence he wields with Catholic voters.

POLYGAMY
Records: Polygamist sect married at puberty
Associated Press (04/09/2008: msnbc.msn.com)
ELDORADO, Texas - A polygamist compound with hundreds of children was rife with sexual abuse, child welfare officials allege in court documents, with girls spiritually married to much older men as soon as they reached puberty and boys groomed to perpetuate the cycle.

Girls 'Conditioned' to Accept Sex From Adult Men
Mike Von Fremd, Steve Petyerak and Olivia Sterns/ABC News (04/09/2008)
The 16-year-old girl -- pregnant for a second time and possibly suffering from three broken ribs -- who alerted Texas authorities to raid a polygamist compound wanted to escape and save her younger sister from the same fate, court documents have revealed.

DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE
An Evangelical at Armageddon
Tim McGirk/Time (04/09/2008)
Armageddon was a brief stopover a few days ago for a contingent of Christians led by the Texas televangelist Pastor John Hagee, who believes that doomsday is nigh.

INTERNATIONAL
Buddhist Monks: End Dalai Lama's Exile
Associated Press (04/09/2008: ap.google.com)
LUQU, China — More than a dozen Buddhist monks staged an emotional protest Wednesday in front of visiting journalists at a monastery in western China, calling for human rights and the return of exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama, said a monk and a reporter at the event. The latest protest came as Tibet's governor promised "severe" punishment against any independence activists who disrupt the Olympic torch relay when it passes through the Himalayan region on its way to Mount Everest next month.

Tibetans Flock to San Francisco to Protest Olympics
Morning Edition/NPR (04/09/2008)
San Francisco is bracing for big protests from Tibetan activists as the city hosts the Olympic torch relay Wednesday. Security is being tightened for the flame's only U.S. appearance following turmoil during stops this week in London and Paris directed at Olympic host China.

ARTS AND MEDIA
Religious teaching straight to your iPod
Ron Barnett/USA Today (04/09/2008)
Evangelists have long used the airwaves to get their messages out to a mass audience. But now, podcast technology is opening the doors to a wider variety of religious teaching than ever before, available on demand and delivered automatically to the computers of a growing number of Americans hungry for spirituality.

Bobblehead Pope Video Yanked
CBS/AP (04/09/2008)
The transportation agency for the nation's capital has pulled a promotional video from YouTube after the Archdiocese of Washington complained about the star: a Pope Benedict XVI bobblehead doll. The video aimed to encourage people to take Metro to next week's papal Mass at Nationals Park. But Archdiocese spokeswoman Susan Gibbs said many people would not have been comfortable with it.