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After the first rounds of air strikes on Hamas targets, chief Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi had cautioned that it was "premature" to say whether the conflict would scuttle the trip. But church insiders now acknowledge that hopes for the planned visit are growing dimmer as the conflict deepens, with Israel's all-out air and ground assault on Gaza growing bloodier. "At the beginning, you could imagine [the war] not forcing the Pope to change his plans," says a well-placed Vatican insider who often travels to the region. "But it's clear now that everything would have...
...issue of the Holocaust had already been a sticking point during negotiations for a possible papal visit. Church officials have demanded that Israel remove a photograph caption at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial that criticizes Pope Pius XII's conduct during World War II. Jewish leaders and some historians argue that Pius failed to use his moral power to denounce the atrocities. Catholic leaders are pushing for Pius to be made a saint of the church, saying he was one of the 20th century's great Popes and that he did what was possible during the Nazi occupation. Benedict...
...debate over these historical matters may become moot if the current conflict continues and the trip to Israel gets shelved. Less politically oriented than his immediate predecessor, Pope John Paul II, Benedict finds his comfort zone when reflecting on church history and digging into Christian theology. Having already written during his papacy a best-selling scholarly treatise on Jesus, Benedict had envisioned his trip to the holy sites in the Middle East as above all a pilgrimage to the birthplace of his faith. Such was the case in 1964 when Pope Paul VI visited holy sites on the first papal...
...Church leaders say that closures are simply unavoidable; in addition to low attendance, the Springfield diocese faces an acute shortage of priests. "It was clear that of the three Catholic churches in Adams, two had to close," says Monsignor John Bonzagni, the diocese's director of pastoral planning. "We tried to make the best pastoral decision...
Like Borré, the Friends of St. Stan are ready for a long fight. "We are prepared to do what it takes," says David Aitken, 54, who used to ring the church bells. For the moment, at least, the diocese is treating its errant flock with patience. "Suffering the closing of your parish is like watching a parent die," says Monsignor Bonzagni. "If the parishioners at St. Stan's need to mourn this way, we will do nothing to interfere...