MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Thousands of opposition supporters rallied in Bahrain on Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of the military raid on the capital’s Pearl Square, the epicenter of last year’s Shiite uprising in the Gulf kingdom. Thousands of protesters waved Bahraini flags, chanted anti-government slogans and demanded the release of political prisoners during the opposition rally in Mahooz, a western suburb of Manama. Pearl Square in central Manama had served as the opposition’s headquarters during the first weeks... Read more

LEON, Mexico (AP) — One hundred fifty-thousand communion wafers? Check. Campsites for 350,000? Check. Three hand-embroidered papal souvenir sombreros? Check. Official song? Check. It takes a lot to prepare for the coming of the pope and the 3 million people the host Archdiocese of Leon says he is expected to draw. Facades must be spiffed; campgrounds must be sprayed for dengue-bearing mosquitoes. The visit of Pope Benedict XVI, his first to Spanish-speaking Latin America, begins in just a week in... Read more

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican has told the head of a breakaway group of traditionalists that they have so far failed to overcome doctrinal differences blocking their return to the Catholic church fold. Cardinal William Levada, who heads the Vatican’s office to ensure doctrinal orthodoxy, met for two hours Friday at the Vatican with Bishop Bernard Fellay, who leads the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X. The Vatican left the door open, saying that Fellay’s group has been given... Read more

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican is making documents dealing with church teaching more accessible online in hopes of better reaching people worldwide. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which safeguards orthodoxy of Catholic teaching, has created a new domain, supplementing existing access from the Holy See’s official website. The Vatican said Friday that “wider distribution” of the congregation’s teaching is needed in today’s world. Major Congregation documents are available in French, English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German and... Read more

LONDON (AP) — Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams says he is stepping down at the end of the year, closing a tumultuous decade as leader of a global Anglican communion sharply divided on issues of sexuality and gender. He announced Friday that he will take up a new post as master of Magdalene College, Cambridge. Williams was appointed in 2002 as archbishop of Canterbury, the senior official in the Church of England and spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion. Read more

RIGA, Latvia (AP) — Nearly 1,500 Latvians paid tribute on Friday to soldiers who fought in Nazi Germany’s Waffen SS divisions, while nearby Russians held a counterprotest to recall war crimes committed against Jews and other minorities. For many Latvians the annual procession from a Lutheran cathedral to the Freedom Monument in downtown Riga, the capital, is a memorial event for Latvian SS soldiers, known as Legionnaires, who fought for independence during World War II. However, Latvia’s minority Russians, who... Read more

DIMONA, Israel (AP) — For years, Israel’s array of African communities had little interaction, divided by religious, linguistic and cultural differences. That is changing. They are facing a common situation in Israel — relegated to bottom rungs, partly because of discrimination over their skin color. That has brought some members of a wide range of communities together, including Jewish Ethiopians, nomadic Muslim Arabs and migrants from Eritrea and Sudan. “What is said against me is said against my brother,” said... Read more

HAVANA (AP) — Catholic Church spokesman says Cuban police have removed 13 dissidents from church in Havana. Read more

PHOENIX (AP) — Women in Arizona trying to get reimbursed for birth control drugs through their employer-provided health plan could be required to prove that they are taking it for a medical reason such as acne, rather than to prevent pregnancy. A bill nearing passage in the Republican-led Legislature allows all employers, not just religious institutions, to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage when doing so would violate their religious or moral beliefs. When a female worker uses birth control... Read more

PHOENIX (AP) — Women in Arizona trying to get reimbursed for birth control drugs through their employer-provided health plan could be required to prove that they are taking it for a medical reason such as acne, rather than to prevent pregnancy. A bill nearing passage in the Republican-led Legislature allows all employers, not just religious institutions, to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage when doing so would violate their religious or moral beliefs. When a female worker uses birth control... Read more