VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- After a number of revisions, Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical on love, charity and Christianity was being prepared for release in mid-January, Vatican officials said. One source said Jan. 17 that translation work on the encyclical had just been completed that day, because of delays caused by changes in the text. The encyclical, the first by the new pope, is titled "Deus Caritas Est" ("God Is Love"), words taken from the first letter of St. John. Vatican sources described the text, about 50 pages in all, as a spiritual reflection on Christian love and erotic love, the church's work of charity and its mission to announce Christ. The source who spoke Jan. 17 said that an earlier version of the encyclical was circulated to Vatican departments and a small number of theologians last fall, resulting in a significant number of suggested changes. Subsequent editing of the text included wording modifications, new explanatory sections and revision of the conclusion, he said.

Alito hearings hit many topics,
make clear his possible votes on few
WASHINGTON (CNS) --- By the time Judge Samuel Alito Jr.'s Senate confirmation hearings finished Jan. 13, he had answered around 700 questions over the better part of three days, and spent nearly the same amount of time listening to senators explaining their own views and parsing his answers. Alito, a judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals since 1990, spent hours responding to questions on everything from his judicial theories to his membership in a controversial group called Concerned Alumni of Princeton. And while some Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee in particular never seemed happy with Alito's answers, it appeared likely he would be approved by both the committee and the full Senate. Floor debate and a vote of the full Senate would follow the Jan. 24 scheduled vote of the committee. Among the subjects pursued persistently by senators on the committee was abortion and whether Alito might be likely to vote to overturn laws, including Roe v. Wade, that made it legal. He also fielded questions about his views on the separation of church and state, immigration and capital punishment, amid the hours of back and forth on legal precedents and his rulings as a judge.

Intelligent design not science, says Vatican newspaper article
VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- Intelligent design is not science and should not be taught as a scientific theory in schools alongside Darwinian evolution, an article in the Vatican newspaper said. The article said that in pushing intelligent design some groups were improperly seeking miraculous explanations in a way that creates confusion between religious and scientific fields. At the same time, scientists should recognize that evolutionary theory does not exclude an overall purpose in creation --- a "superior design" that may be realized through secondary causes like natural selection, it said. The article, published in the Jan. 17 edition of L'Osservatore Romano, was written by Fiorenzo Facchini, a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Bologna in Italy. The article noted that the debate over intelligent design -- the idea that certain features of life and the universe are best explained by an intelligent designer rather than adaptive evolution --- has spread from the United States to Europe.

Charity head says 'new' New Orleans
needs mixed-income neighborhoods
NEW ORLEANS (CNS) --- James Kelly, CEO of Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, told a congressional field hearing Jan. 13 in New Orleans that mixed-income neighborhoods must be part of any plans to rebuild the city. "Rebuilding should be carried out in a manner that treats the area's poorest citizens with the same respect and dignity as the more affluent. High ground should be set aside for the poor and the rich -- both black and white," he said. A copy of his testimony was released after the hearing. Kelly stressed that mixed-income neighborhoods are critical to a successful future of New Orleans and said that "without government intervention and assistance, the market will not be kind to the less fortunate." Kelly testified before the House Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity chaired by U.S. Rep. Robert W. Ney, R-Ohio. The subcommittee held two field hearings in mid-January as part of an ongoing series of hearings on housing options in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

West Bank Christian children visit Bethlehem, rally for peace
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (CNS) --- Living under difficult conditions, including checkpoints, roadblocks and political and economic instability, Christian children were able to have fun, march for peace and visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Because of these conditions, many children do not have opportunities to feel free and celebrate, Rosary Sister Rosaria Reshet said. "I was praying to God to give these children more love and more peace and more joy," said Sister Rosaria, who accompanied a group of children from the West Bank village of Aboud on the second annual "Journey to Bethlehem" arranged by the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation. "I was so excited to see how children, who all the time have problems, now I could see joy on their faces," she said. Some 1,050 Christian children, ages 8-10, from 13 West Bank towns and villages arrived in Bethlehem for a day of fun and special activities Jan. 14. For some it was their first time seeing the Church of the Nativity.

Fordham announces decision to close
Marymount College in 2007
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. (CNS) --- Marymount College in Tarrytown will close in June 2007, nearly five years after consolidating with Fordham University in New York. "Despite the very best efforts of the faculty, administration and staff, it is no longer academically or financially feasible to continue to operate Marymount College as a separate school within the university," said John N. Tognino, chairman of the Fordham board of trustees, in a statement. "This was a very difficult decision because we know how deeply our students valued the supportive environment of an all-women's college and how many alumnae have flourished and excelled because of the strengths they developed at Marymount," he added. The Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, who founded the college in 1907, said they were "deeply saddened" at the decision to close the school.

Pope asks Christians to end discrimination against migrants
VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- Pope Benedict XVI called on Christians to shun all forms of discrimination and welcome the migrants in their midst. Marking the Vatican's celebration of World Day for Migrants and Refugees Jan. 15, the pope called on people to recognize the benefits of migration and overcome "every form of discrimination, injustice and disdain for the human person, because each person is an image of God." Addressing visitors in St. Peter's Square after reciting the midday Angelus prayer, the pope said the movement of people is a "sign of the times." While the movement may be voluntary or forced, legal or clandestine, motivated by work or study, Pope Benedict said, the arrival of newcomers from far away can lead to a knowledge of and respect for ethnic and cultural differences. Pope Benedict expressed hope that Catholics would help their communities overcome "difficulties of acceptance and integration" as they welcome migrants and refugees.