To the Point

American Museums under Fire over Antiquities

Gaze upon the artifacts of ancient Rome or Greece in any major American museum and you're likely to be looking at objects that may have been stolen. With rules on the acquisition of antiquities in constant flux from country to country and era to era, the confusion has led to criminal charges against one of the world's most respected antiquities curators. Marion True, formerly at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, is on trial in Rome for allegedly acquiring looted Italian antiquities. Do these objects belong to the world at large or the country of origin? Guest host Diana Nyad explores the issue of patrimony with journalists, curators, museum administrators, legal experts and a member of a British advisory panel to prevent and prohibit the illicit trade in cultural objects. Making News: Pentagon Brass Say 50,000 Troops May Come HomeThe Washington Post reports today that Pentagon officials plan to bring back as many as 50,000 troops from Iraq by the end of 2006. That's as many as one-third of the total troops deployed there now. Is the military's announcement a reaction to Congressman Murtha's passionate plea to exit Iraq as soon as possible or has today's plan been in the works for some time? Bradley Graham is co-author of today's Post story.Reporter's Notebook: Vatican Document Excludes Gay Men from PriesthoodThe Catholic Church formally condemned homosexual acts in 1961. Today it set more specific guidelines, barring all prospective priests who exhibit deeply rooted homosexual tendencies. The wording of the document has been immediately criticized by gay rights activists as rejecting standards considered normal and natural in the scientific community. John Allen is Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter.