Irish Airline Ads Target Religion

THE IRISH TIMES, April 24 –– An outdoor advertisement featuring an image of Pope John Paul II and Dublin Archbishop Desmond Connell was judged offensive to religion and censored by the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland after complaints from the public, the Dublin daily reported.

Complaints about the Ryanair advertisement, which used an image of Pope John Paul II and Dublin Cardinal Desmond Connell at the recent consistory in Rome, were upheld on the grounds that it had given rise to “widespread offense.”

Added to the image of the two men are speech bubbles with comments about how low Ryanair fares are.

Papal Good Humor Warms Easter Pilgrims

THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, April 18 –– In Italy, tourism promoters and Pope John Paul II evidently aren't on the same page, the Washington-based weekly suggested.

According to a Monitor correspondent in Rome, the Pope greeted hundreds of visitors at his Castelgandolfo residence amid snow flurries Easter Monday by smiling from his balcony and advising: “Go home. It's too cold.”

Vatican Foreign Minister to Visit Moscow in May

RUSSIA TODAY, Apr 22 –– Vatican Foreign Minister Jean-Louis Tauran will visit Moscow May 25-27 to attend a Mass, the Moscow daily reported.

Officials gave no indication whether the special envoy of Pope John Paul II, would meet Russian government or Orthodox Church officials. The Pope has said several times that he would like to visit Russia, but Russian Orthodox patriarch Alexy II has said two issues needed to be resolved first: the treatment by Greek Catholics of Orthodox Christians in western Ukraine and proselytizing by Catholics in Russian Orthodox areas.

The patriarch exercises an effective veto on a papal visit to Moscow since the Pope has indicated that he will not visit Russia without an invitation from the Russian Church.

Pope Sends Blessing to Italian Astronaut

ASSOCIATED PRESS, April 23 –– Pope John Paul II has sent his blessing to Italian astronaut Umberto Guidoni, who is orbiting Earth aboard the docked space shuttle Endeavour and space station Alpha, the news service reported.

The brief message was sent to Guidoni from the office of the Vatican's secretary of state April 12, one week before Endeavour blasted off. It was later released by the Italian Space Agency.

“The Supreme Pontiff takes joy in sending you his cordial salute, which he extends to the whole crew,” the message stated in Italian.

“Especially, he sends you a wish of peace, hoping that through such a courageous enterprise, it will reach space and contribute to increase real progress and ever more brotherhood and solidarity to humanity.”

Guidoni, 46, an astrophysicist from Rome, is making his second space flight. He is the first European Space Agency astronaut to visit the international space station and is responsible for the Italian-built Raffaello cargo carrier that was launched to the space station aboard Endeavour.