THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Aug. 11 —A new school in Poland named for Pope John Paul II's longtime friend, Father Jozef Tischner, has opened near the site of Karol Wojtyla's first Mass in 1946.

Fittingly, Father Jozef Tischner University will provide students a chance to focus on the work and life of John Paul. In fact, it's offering a postgraduate degree in John Paul studies, the Associated Press reported. The 180 hours of course work will focus on the Pope's contributions “to modern Poland, the Roman Catholic Church and the world.” They will be offered starting in October.

“The intellectual contribution of Karol Wojtyla and John Paul II is one of the most important elements of the Polish culture,” Tischner University rector Jaroslaw Gowin explained, “something which should interest not only Catholics but [also] all intellectual circles.”

People Not the Only Ones Wilting in Europe

REUTERS, Aug. 8 — unprecedented heat wave that has claimed thousands of lives throughout Europe and led Pope John Paul II to lead prayers for rain continues unabated, Reuters reported. The British news service noted that even votive candles are melting in the heat — before the faithful have had the chance to light them.

Reporting from the shrine of St. Anthony in Padua, Reuters pointed out that these candles are melting on souvenir stands in the 104-degree heat, warping the image of the saint into bizarre, unrecognizable shapes.

Also on sale at the stands are tiny statues of the saint that act as barometers — glowing red when rain is coming and blue to predict sunny days. The statues, locals noted ruefully, remain a steady blue.

Dignity Criticizes Vatican Document

DATALOUNGE.COM, Aug. 11 — Leaders of the group Dignity, which lobbies for the acceptance of sodomy by the Church, responded on Aug. 11 to the recent Vatican statement rejecting legal same-sex unions.

The homosexual-rights Web site DataLounge.com reported on the Dignity USA national convention, which took place in Las Vegas. It quoted Matthew Foreman of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, who called the reassertion of the Church's ancient teaching by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith “terrifying.”

Dignity President Patrick McArron dubbed the Vatican document — which insists that persons with homosexual inclination must be treated with charity and understanding — a form of “spiritual terrorism” and a “vicious attack.”

The Vatican's declaration, “Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons,” is posted on www.vatican.va. The text was printed in last week's Register.