Jail Sentence Stuns Italians

DEUTSCHE PRESS-AGENTUR, Nov. 18 — Italians were shocked when they learned that Giulio Andreotti, the country's seven-time prime minister, was found guilty of ordering the mafia in 1979 to murder Mino Pecorelli, a reporter who was allegedly about to publish documents that could have damaged Andreotti's political career.

Judges ruled the 83-year-old should spend the next 24 years in prison, according to the German news agency.

The reaction to the unexpected verdict ranged from the “profound agitation” of Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Italy's president of the republic, to “bewilderment” in the Vatican. Andreotti is not only considered one of the most powerful men in postwar Italy but he has also been a friend to many popes and the man the Vatican relied on to press its agenda in the Italian parliament, Deutsche Press-Agentur reported.

Andreotti's lawyers plan to argue on appeal that their client is too old to be kept behind bars.

Maronite Patriarch Visits Vatican

DAILY STAR (Lebanon), Nov. 18 — The patriarch of the Eastern Catholic Maronites visited the Vatican to take part in a bishops's council, according to Lebanon's Daily Star.

Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir was joined by Catholic Armenian Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Taramouny and Syriac Catholic Patriarch Agnatios Butros XVIII Abdel-Ahad.

Sfeir told the Daily Star that those bishops would meet Pope John Paul II and take part in the General Assembly of the Oriental Churches, which is held every four years.

Sfeir also called for an end to “Syrian interference in Lebanese internal affairs.” Syrian troops still occupy much of Lebanon.

Vatican Stamps Mark Papal Travels

He Associated Press, Nov. 16 — The city-state of the Vatican has begun to release a new series of stamps marking the travels of Pope John Paul II in 2001, featuring the Holy Father's face and the country's name written in its local language.

The countries to be commemorated are Greece, Syria, Malta, Ukraine, Kazakstan and Armenia.

Also planned are stamps for Christmas and coins for John Paul's 24th anniversary as Pope, according to the Associated Press.

Those coins will read, “There is no peace without justice. There is no justice without forgiveness.”

Vatican Forgives Archbishop Milingo

REUTERS, Nov. 15 — Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, an African bishop who shocked the world last year when he joined Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church and was joined with a young woman in a church-arranged marriage, repented some months ago.

He has returned to the public practice of the priesthood duties with papal approval, according to Reuters news.

The Vatican issued a statement notifying “any faithful who may be interested” that he would celebrate Mass at his parish south of Rome, seen as an official sign the Vatican had forgiven the archbishop.

Archbishop Milingo has long had problems with Church authorities, in part because of his charismatic tent-revivals and mass public exorcisms, which were broadly popular in his native land.

The Vatican had threatened Milingo with excommunication, a punishment he avoided when he ended the uncanonical marriage and came to Rome to meet with Vatican officials.