To the Point
Pope Benedict XVI Visits America
Pope Benedict XVI addressed a crowd of thousands today on the White House lawn as he began his six-day pilgrimage to the United States. We hear about the papal visit and the state of America's biggest religious institution, about Catholics becoming Pentecostal Protestants and the continuing scandal over pedophile priests. Also, the US Supreme Court upholds lethal injection, and a surprising feature of the al Qaeda terrorist network: bureaucracy.
By Warren Olney • • 1h 0m ListenPope Benedict XVI addressed a crowd of thousands today on the White House lawn as he began his six-day pilgrimage to the United States. We hear about the papal visit and the state of America's biggest religious institution, about Catholics becoming Pentecostal Protestants and the continuing scandal over pedophile priests. Also, the US Supreme Court upholds lethal injection, and in Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda, there's bureaucratic paperwork and penny-pinching as well as ideological fervor.
White House photo: Shealah Craighead
In this episode
3 storiesSupreme Court Upholds Lethal Injection
The US Supreme Court has ruled that Kentucky's use of a three-drug lethal injection does not violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Executions, which have been on hold pending today's decision, are likely to resume. Robert Barnes reports on the Court for the Washington Post .
Read the story6 minPope Benedict and Catholic America
President Bush is giving the full head-of-state treatment to Pope Benedict XVI , a powerful critic of the war in Iraq, not to mention capital punishment and the boycott of Cuba. But today on the White House lawn, both leaders spoke warmly of their relationship and the importance of religion in America's public life.
Read the story35 minAl Qaeda's Bureaucrats
Memos are standard procedure in any bureaucracy, but these familiar-sounding phrases come from a surprising source.
Read the story8 min
