Cleveland Man Made Slovenia's Vatican Ambassador

CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER, Sept. 14—Karl Bonutti's resume, which already includes both factory work and a position as a Cleveland State University economics professor, now has a new entry: the first Republic of Slovenia ambassador to the Vatican.

Pope John Paul II has accepted the Slovenian government's nomination of the native Slovenian to represent its interests to the Holy See. The appointment is welcomed in the strongly Catholic Slovenia, whose 2 million population broke away from Communist Yugoslavia in 1991.

Cleveland Bishop Anthony Pilla told the paper that Bonutti “has shown himself to be an outstanding Catholic gentleman witnessing the true Gospel values in both his personal and public lives.”

Bonutti, 70, a dual citizen of America and Slovenia, came to the United States years ago for a research fellowship that vanished upon his arrival. He worked in a factory to support his wife and growing family as he searched for a position in academia.

Five of his six children were present at his recent appointment ceremony in the Holy Father's Castel Gandolfo near Rome, according to the article.

“When I finish my four-year term at the Vatican, I plan to return to my adopted city of Cleveland, which I love very much,” he told the paper. Cleveland has a large Slovenian-American population.

Pope's (and McGwire's) Schedule Nearing Readiness

CHICAGO SUN TIMES, Sept. 14—Pope John Paul II still intends to come to St. Louis, said the Chicago Sun Times, citing Vatican officials. It just hasn't been decided what events will take place there, or whether Mark McGwire will be involved. That, in turn, means that tickets for the day are still on hold, said the paper.

The newspaper reported earlier this year that Catholic teen groups have been trying to arrange for the home-run hitter McGwire to appear with the Pope at a youth rally Jan. 26 or 27.

But, “We don't know the [Pope's] schedule yet,” Steve Mamanella, a spokesman for the St. Louis Archdiocese, told the paper. “And we don't know about McGwire.” The Vatican advance team that recently visited St. Louis will release a schedule very soon, said the report, which will determine the number of available tickets to papal events.

“Priority will be given to St. Louis parishes. Mamanella said he didn't know how many would be left for outsiders, even if Mass is celebrated in the Trans World Dome, which seats 70,000,” said the paper.