Gloria TV News on the Feast of St. Peter Chanel.

Pope Meets the Belorussian President

Vatican

Yesterday Pope Benedict the XVI had a 25 minutes meeting with the Belorussian President Alexander Lukashenko. The Holy Father gave him a pontifical gold medal. Lukashenko, in turn, offered him a wood and straw image of Jesus, manufactured according to traditional techniques. During the encounter, they reviewed international issues and talked about the importance of collaboration between Church and state. The President also invited the Holy Father to visit the country. In the past, Lukashenko has described himself as an Orthodox and, at the same time, as an atheist.

She also Hopes to Remarry

USA

Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia has denounced the “pseudo-ordination” of Mary Ann Schoettly, the 47th woman associated with Roman Catholic Women Priests. "Such a ceremony," he said, "is in violation of the constant teaching of the Church, based on Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Both clearly indicate that Jesus called only men to follow him as Apostles, and the Church has always regarded his choice in this matter as normative for all time." Schoettly, who is divorced, says she hopes to remarry if she meets the right man.

He Wants Finally to be a Father

Paraguay

Facing allegations that he fathered children by three different women before Pope Benedict accepted his resignation from the episcopate, Paraguayan President Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez asked forgiveness during an April 24 press conference and said he would not resign. “You will see this president as a father who is prepared to share his love and care,” he said.

Vatican

Will the Regensburg Bishop Be Appointed to Rome?

Bishop Ludwig Mueller of Regensburg is rumoured to be appointed head of the Pontifical Council for promoting Christian Unity – according to the German news magazine Focus. Mueller is a former Theology professor at the University of Munich. He is theologically close to the Pope. In the past, he has however taken a combative stand against the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X. He is already a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and was a member of the International Theological Commission from 1998 to 2005.