Democrats balk at pope's comments, again
USAToday
 A group of 18 Catholic House Democrats publicly disputed Pope Benedict XVI's recent condemnation of Mexican politicians who support abortion rights, saying that "such notions offend the very nature of the American experiment." Catholic Democrats who are pro-abortion have balked at this teaching of the Church for some time. OSV published an editorial on the subject in our May 27 edition.

Russian Orthodox churches reunite
BBC.com
The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad has reunited with the Russian Orthodox Church after 80 years of schism sparked by the Bolshevik revolution. Talks to re-establish ties between the Russian Orthodox Church in exile and its mother church began soon after the collapse of the USSR, which ignited a revival of organized religion in Russia.

Choosing abortion to save scholarships
Concord Monitor
Many colleges and universities have policies requiring female athletes lose scholarships if they get pregnant. Under these rules, women are choosing abortions over the prospect of losing money for tuition. Dropping scholarships for this reason "is an entirely legal thing and within NCAA rules," said Barbara Osborne, a lawyer and assistant professor of sports law research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. But many schools continue scholarships for students temporarily sidelined by accidents, illness or other medical conditions, Osborne said, and some are developing programs to assist pregnant athletes to help them stay in college.