Suspect says Boston attack was Muslim payback

Law enforcement sources say the surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect scrawled a note on the boat where he was hiding, calling the blasts revenge for U.S. attacks on Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Police found Dzhokhar Tsarnaev hiding in the boat in a backyard in suburban Boston, four days after the April 15 bombings killed three people and wounded more than 260.
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Pope Francis to visit shantytown

Pope Francis will visit the poor in a favela and meet young prisoners when he travels to Brazil on his first international trip as pontiff in July, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

Francis, who has said he wants to make concern for the poor a hallmark of his papacy, will visit the Manguinhos slum in Rio de Janeiro on the fourth day of his July 22-29 trip to the world’s largest Catholic country.
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Cardinal Wuerl to address SVC graduates

Cardinal Donald Wuerl

Cardinal Donald Wuerl

LATROBE, PA — Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, will be recognized with the conferral of an honorary doctor of theology degree and be the principal speaker at the 167th annual commencement of Saint Vincent College, it was announced by Saint Vincent College President Br. Norman W. Hipps, O.S.B. More than 300 undergraduate and graduate degrees will be awarded at the Saturday, May 11, ceremony which begins at 2 p.m. in the Robert S. Carey Student Center.

A native of Pittsburgh who served as bishop of the diocese of Pittsburgh for 18 years, Cardinal Wuerl is known for his teaching ministry and is involved nationally and internationally in education, health care and social service organizations.
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Abuse victims skeptical about new Pope

Roman Catholic cardinals on Tuesday begin a conclave at the Vatican. One of the issues as they cast ballots for the next pope will be the ongoing controversy over clerical sex abuse. Some victims of that abuse say the church has tried to avoid responsibility, and they’re skeptical that the next pope will make major changes.

“This is a picture of me, right before my abuse. I was around eignt or nine when the abuse started,” says Becky Ianni, who remembers herself as a normal, happy child.
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Muslims allege unconstitutional spying

A coalition of American Muslims delivered to New York City police headquarters Monday a report that alleges widespread ethnic profiling by the city police department’s counter-terrorism and surveillance programs. The report calls for enhanced legislative and judicial protection from what Muslims allege is unconstitutional spying.

A group of about 40 Muslim Americans representing The Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition and other advocacy organizations gathered in downtown Manhattan to formally present a 51-page report called “Mapping Muslims: NYPD Spying and its Impact on American Muslims.”
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Aging and Spirituality: Spirituality and Health: A Doctor’s Perspective

LATROBE, PA — Saint Vincent College School of Social Sciences, Communication, and Education will present Dr. James Reilly, M.D., MPM, FACS, associate chief medical officer and director of clinical effectiveness at Excela Health, as the first speaker in the fifth edition of its lecture series on Aging and Spirituality at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 19th, at the Fred M. Rogers Center. His presentation is entitled, “Spirituality and Health: A Doctor’s Perspective.”
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Muslims attack and kill American in Libya

An American was killed in an attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya on Tuesday. The State Department confirmed that the American was a U.S. State Department officer. His death came after Muslim protesters burned the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. In Cairo, protesters scaled the walls of the U.S. embassy and replaced an American flag with an Islamic banner, reported to be similar to that of al-Qaida’s flag.
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Chinese government says United States guilty of religious prejudice

The Chinese government has said the United States needs to cast off what it calls “prejudiced views” of China’s involvement with the Tibetan people. The U.S. government said China has been limiting religious freedom concerning Tibetan regions and believes that traditional Buddhist practices in Chinese controlled Tibet has contributed to at least a dozen reported self immolations since last year.

The Chinese government rejected the United States’ claims as religious prejudice. Hong Lei, China’s foreign ministry spokesman, said that the claims made by the U.S. are false and that a friendlier relationship should be established between Washington and China. Hong Lei said Washington is trying to use the issue as a means to interfere with China’s internal affairs.
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Shooting at Sikh temple leaves 7 dead

A Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, near Milwaukee, became a tragic scene when a gunman shot what early reports said were up to 30 individuals, killing at least seven on Sunday.

Multiple calls came into the 911 dispatch from the temple around 10:25 a.m. A police officer was shot several times and is currently at Froedtert Hospital. His condition was not known at the time of publishing this story.
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