In September 2010, Benedict XVI made the first official state visit to England by a Roman Catholic Pope since the Protestant Reformation.  Although atheists threatened to have him arrested for covering up the activities of pedophile priests, the Pope apologized for the scandal, met with the Queen, and addressed an assembly of British politicians as “the Successor of Peter” and a representative of “the Catholic faith that comes to us from the Apostles” (Telegraph, 18 September 2010).

Two weeks ago, Christchurch, New Zealand was rocked by a major 7.0 earthquake. The quake has been followed by more than 100 aftershocks, some of which were major quakes themselves.

Last week the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran has reached another milestone as it advances toward the goal of arming nuclear ballistic missiles. Iran’s missiles already have the ability to reach parts of Europe.

A London newspaper recently reported, “Brussels has broken our power to rule.” Author Christopher Booker points out how Britain’s chancellor has granted the EU rights to “supervise” national budgets—a function controlled by the British Parliament for centuries. In addition, a new financial transaction tax being proposed by the EU would hit London especially hard as a world financial center (Telegraph, September 11, 2010).  Mr.

“With three police officers killed in separate instances in two months, and calls from some Illinois lawmakers for the National Guard to patrol its most violent streets, Chicago once again finds itself under growing pressure to rein in crime.” Chicago is well on the way to meeting last year’s statistic of almost 500 murders—mostly gang-related.