Will the Pope be swayed by bus ads?

In the run up to Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Britain, scheduled to take place later this month, a group called Catholic Women's Ordination (CWO) has unveiled a London bus ad campaign that features signs on the exterior of buses saying "Pope Benedict -- Ordain Women Now!"

The campaign cost the CWO ₤15,000 (Can. $24,332 / € 18,003) for a month's worth of ads. Pat Brown, a spokeswoman for the group, said, "We do not want to be disruptive, but I think the church has got to change or it will not survive."

Meanwhile, the Vatican has asked people planning to attend the Pope's public events in Britain not to bring alcohol or musical instruments. On the other hand, flags and folding chairs are encouraged.

Pope breaks wrist

Pope Benedict XVI, who is holidaying in the Aosta Valley, has broken his right wrist after a fall in his chalet.

After managing to eat breakfast and celebrate Mass without medical intervention, the Pope, 82, went to the hospital in Aosta, where a surgery was performed on his wrist. The operation was reportedly successful.

[This post was written in Istanbul].

Pope prays for peace

In his annual "Urbi et Orbi" (to the City and the World) speech, Pope Benedict XVI has called for a peaceful resolution of conflicts raging in Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Africa and other places. He also spoke out against terrorism, and against violence towards women and children.

The Pope called on politicians to "seek and find humane, just and lasting solutions" to conflicts that are "destroying the internal fabric of many countries and embittering international relations". The Pope also prayed for consolation to be given "to those who live in the darkness of poverty, injustice and war" (BBC).

Abdullah of Saudi Arabia visits Vatican

Saudi king Abdullah visited the Vatican today and met with Pope Benedict XVI, in what was the first ever meeting between a pope and a reigning king of Saudi Arabia. A Vatican spokesman later said the two leaders had had a "warm" meeting.

Benedict brought up the issue of the contributions of over a million Christian residents to Saudi Arabia. King Abdullah presented the Pope with a jewel-encrusted gold sword, while Benedict gave the king an engraving of the Vatican made in the 16th century in return. During their half-hour meeting, Abdullah and Benedict also discussed a possible "just solution" to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians (BBC).

Very encouraging. The more mainstream voices emphasise what is common between Muslims and Christians, the harder it should be for extremists on either side to try to stir up conflict.

Vatican Library closes for 3 years

The Vatican Library, which is used by academics and other researchers from the world over, has closed for urgent repairs, and is not due to reopen until September 2010. The library has had to close because of structural damage that was discovered in one of its wings.

The library is home to over 1.5 million printed books and 150,000 manuscripts, including the Codex Vaticanus, a copy of the Bible dating back to the 4th century.

This is the first time since the 15th century that the library will be closed for an extended period of time. Despite the closure, however, scholars will be able to request microfilms of photocopies of documents they require, according to Ambrogio Piazzoni, deputy head of the library (BBC).

Bush meets Pope

In a visit to the Vatican, George W. Bush has met Pope Benedict XVI for the first time. The Pope expressed concern about the plight of Christians in Iraq, and called for a "regional and negotiated solution to the conflicts that afflict" the region.

"I was talking to a very smart, loving man," Bush observed (BBC).

Now if only Bush could learn something from him.

[This post was written in Toronto.]

Man whose eye was "miraculously" healed meets Pope

Six years ago, Phil McCord, facilities manager at a convent near Terre Haute, Indiana, had his eye healed by a miracle, or so he believes. He prayed to Mother Théodore Guérin (1798-1856), who founded the convent. After his prayer, his eye was healed, and 12 different doctors who subsequently examined him were unable to explain the recovery scientifically.

As a result of this reported miracle, which was the second claimed for Mother Théodore, the Catholic Church canonised her in 2006. St Théodore's remains have been disinterred, and placed in a shrine at the convent.

For his part, McCord is planning to convert to Catholicism. He recently met briefly with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. Unfortunately, however, his dry cleaner had given him the wrong pair of trousers, and so he had to meet the Pope wearing trousers that were two inches too short (BBC).

Khatami visits the Vatican

Former Iranian President Seyyed Mohammad Khatami is visiting Vatican City, where he has met with Pope Benedict XVI.

In the coming week, the Vatican is planning to host a seminar for diplomats from several Muslim countries, where they will be told about the Catholic Church's interfaith and inter-cultural dialogue initiatives (BBC).

I should add that Khatami's visit can also be seen as part of a continuing "dialogue between civilisations", which is his preferred alternative to the "clash of civilisations" posited by Samuel Huntington and others.

Christians celebrate Easter

Christians around the world -- Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox -- celebrated Easter yesterday, on 8 April. According to Christian belief, Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ (pbuh) after his crucifixion, making this the most important of Christian holy days.

The BBC has compiled two photo series showing Christians in different parts of the world celebrating Easter. The first one focuses on Orthodox Christians, with pictures from Palestine, as well as Bulgaria and Russia.

The second series shows Christians celebrating in Belarus, China, Cuba, France, Germany, Iraq, the UK, Ukraine and Vatican City.

Christians celebrate Palm Sunday

Christians are celebrating Palm Sunday, which is the Sunday before Easter. It commemorates the day when, according to the New Testament, Jesus Christ (pbuh) rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, and was welcomed by townsmen holding palm branches.

This BBC photo series shows Christians celebrating the holiday in the Philippines, India, Vatican City and Jerusalem itself.

This year, Western Christians (Catholics and Protestants) and Orthodox Christians are on the same Easter schedule.