LISBON, Portugal – Pope Benedict XVI will speak about the economic crisis during his four-day trip to Portugal this week, telling Europeans to seek solace in their faith, a senior church official said Monday. The pontiff intends to deliver a message that “the joy of faith and hope” is a remedy for the gloom of…

(RNS) As Solicitor General Elena Kagan prepares for confirmation hearings to make her the newest member of the U.S. Supreme Court, her nomination changes the religious makeup of the nation’s highest court. But does it matter that the bench would include six Catholics and, with her confirmation, three Jews and no Protestants? Observers say it’s…

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Monday nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court, declaring she would demonstrate the same independence, integrity and passion for the law exhibited by retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. If confirmed by the Senate, Kagan would become the third woman on the high court. At 50, she is…

DHARMSALA, India – Years of negotiations with Beijing have achieved little for the Tibetan people, the Dalai Lama said Friday, though he insisted that talks still needed to press ahead and that the Chinese leadership could – eventually – soften its stand on Tibet. In an hour-long interview with The Associated Press, the Buddhist leader…

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