NEWS

{mosimage}NEW YORK - As his Alitalia Boeing 777, dubbed “Shepherd One,” lifted off from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, Pope Benedict XVI had reason to smile. During his April 15-20 visit to the United States, he had been received warmly by hundreds of thousands, faced the sex-abuse crisis head on and offered a message of hope in Christ to American Catholics.

{mosimage}ASUNCION, Paraguay - Retired Bishop Fernando Lugo was elected president of Paraguay April 20, ending the six-decade rule of the Colorado Party.

Lugo took an early lead in the pre-election polls, despite official disapproval from the Vatican and, initially, from the Paraguayan bishops’ conference. As support for Lugo remained high in the largely Catholic country, the conference refrained from further comment.

{mosimage}OTTAWA - This year’s National March for Life in Ottawa May 7-9 will honour the 60th anniversary of the United Nations’ adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

{mosimage}TORONTO - Toronto’s first real warm spring day welcomed 36 glove-clad volunteers carrying plastic garbage bags or brooms throughout a downtown section of the city April 18.

{mosimage}TORONTO - St. Basil's Church in downtown Toronto hosted the ordination of two young men to the priesthood for the Basilian order on April 19.

It was a significant day for the Basilians, as Fr. Glenn McDonald and Fr. Andrew Leung, both 29 and from Alberta, were two of only three men ordained as priests within the Basilian order in North America since 2001. The third was ordained earlier this year in Houston, Texas.

{mosimage}NEW YORK - As his final goodbye to the American people, Pope Benedict XVI prayed at Ground Zero, the location of the worst terrorist attack ever conducted on U.S. soil, and celebrated Holy Eucharist with 57,000 Catholics at Yankee Stadium.

Pope Benedict XVI's final homily to Americans, given at the Sunday, April 20, Mass at Yankee Stadium, was about Jesus. Imagine that, a Catholic Pope, at a Catholic Mass, talking about Jesus.

Pope Benedict XVI's final homily to Americans, given at the Sunday, April 20, Mass at Yankee Stadium, was about Jesus. Imagine that, a Catholic Pope, at a Catholic Mass, talking about Jesus.

Among all the red hats and sashes trailing after the Pope at his various events here in the United States was one who is a familiar figure to Canadians. It was Cardinal Marc Ouellet, archbishop of Quebec and primate of the Catholic Church in Canada.

Among all the red hats and sashes trailing after the Pope at his various events here in the United States was one who is a familiar figure to Canadians. It was Cardinal Marc Ouellet, archbishop of Quebec and primate of the Catholic Church in Canada.