MEXICO CITY (AP) — A drug gang unfurled banners in a Mexican city that Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to visit next month, telling rival traffickers to keep out and keep the peace during the papal visit. One of the banners was signed by The Knights Templar, a violent, pseudo-religious cartel from the neighboring state of Michoacan. The cloth banners with hand-painted messages were found and quickly removed on Tuesday, a few weeks after the local Roman Catholic archdiocese had... Read more

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algeria will witness a “social explosion” if the May legislative election is marred by fraud, an Islamist leader warned Tuesday. The published comments from Abdelmadjid Menasra echoed those by other Islamist politicians in recent weeks as Algeria gears up for the fourth set of parliamentary elections in North Africa since October — with the three others won by religious-influenced parties. Buoyed by electoral successes of their counterparts in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, Islamists in Algeria are... Read more

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Retired New York Cardinal Edward Egan is facing criticism from representatives of clergy sexual abuse victims for a recent interview in which he said he regretted apologizing for the priest abuse scandal in 2002 when he was bishop of Bridgeport. In the interview with Connecticut Magazine, Egan says “I don’t think we did anything wrong” in handling abuse cases. He says he was not obligated to report abuse claims and maintained he inherited the cases... Read more

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina drivers can buy religious license plates that feature three crosses and a sunrise. A federal judge ruled in 2009 that “I Believe” tags that legislators created with a state law violated the First Amendment ban on establishment of religion by government. These new tags were not created by a state law. Instead, they were created and sponsored by the nonprofit group www.IBELIEVEsc.net. Nonprofit spokeswoman Adrian Grimes says the new tag is a nonpolitical way... Read more

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican is confirming that Pope Benedict XVI may travel to Lebanon later this year. The top Roman Catholic official in the Holy Land, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, said Tuesday that Benedict was expected in Lebanon in September to present a document on the future of the church in the Middle East. It would be the second trip for the 84-year-old Benedict in 2012, following his March 23-29 visit to Mexico and Cuba. Vatican spokesman the... Read more

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — The Ugandan parliamentarian who first introduced an anti-gay bill that carried the death penalty for some homosexual acts reintroduced the bill on Tuesday, raising concerns among rights activists who have been fighting the legislation. Parliamentarian David Bahati first introduced the bill in 2009 but it has never come before the full legislative body for a vote. Though widely supported in Uganda, the bill’s progress apparently has been slowed by an international outcry against the bill, including... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — A political adviser to President Barack Obama said Tuesday the administration didn’t intend to “abridge anyone’s religious freedom” with its regulation requiring church-affiliated employers to cover birth control for their workers. “This is an important issue. It’s important for millions of women around the country,” said Axelrod, the political adviser to Obama’s re-election campaign. “We want to resolve it in an appropriate way and we’re going to do that.” Roman Catholic leaders have assailed Obama and Health... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — A resurgent Rick Santorum won Republican presidential caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado on Tuesday night, a stunning sweep that raised fresh questions about front-runner Mitt Romney’s ability to appeal to the ardent conservatives at the core of the party’s political base. Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, triumphed, as well, in a nonbinding Missouri primary that was worth bragging rights but no delegates to the party’s national convention. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, prevailed in both Minnesota and... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — A resurgent Rick Santorum easily won Minnesota’s Republican caucuses Tuesday night, relegating front-runner Mitt Romney to a distant third-place finish that raised fresh questions about his ability to attract ardent conservatives at the core of the party’s political base. Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, was victorious, as well, in a nonbinding Missouri primary that was worth bragging rights but no delegates to the party’s national convention. Colorado also held caucuses. The first few hundred votes tallied trended... Read more

ST. CHARLES, Missouri (AP) — Republican front-runner Mitt Romney, looking to extend his winning streak in the race for the presidential nomination on Tuesday, focused on abortion, religious freedom and gay marriage in an intensified effort to win over social conservatives as caucuses were held in Minnesota and Colorado. Romney’s main rival, former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, mounted no significant campaign in either state, looking ahead to primaries elsewhere. That left the two second-tier candidates, former Sen. Rick... Read more