Pope Visit and Earth Day 2008

by Jessica Kramer

Pope Visit

Profile: Cardinal Francis George, the Archbishop of Chicago and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He introduced the pope in his speech at the White House Wednesday night. He told the pope the church is “troubled by ideological differences that weaken not only our witness to the world but the life of faith itself.” He said the priest sexual abuse scandal was poorly handled, as later said by the pope (it was “sometimes very badly handled by the bishops"). The cardinal said the problem has made “the personal faith of some Catholics and the public life of the church herself more problematic.” Cardinal George let Rev. Daniel McCormack remain at his post even though allegations surfaced that McCormack had repeatedly engaged in sexual abuse of two boys. He apologized for not letting him go earlier even though he did not attempt to contact the police, violating the church’s protocol.

News Event with Visuals: Mass at Yankees Stadium Sunday or visit to Ground Zero Friday

Enterprise Story : further investigation into the sexual abuse scandal and what role officials had in keeping people on their posts even though allegations had surfaced or was known to be true.

Earth Day

Profile: Ed Begley, Jr., noted actor and environmentalist who had a TV show, Living With Ed, trying to about making his home more environmentally friendly.

News Event with Visuals: EarthFair in New York City April 18-19, a free event with organic food, clean fuels, music, exhibits, and kids' activities.

Enterprise Story: investigative piece about the electric car – conspiracies and facts behind its death and what can be done to revive it.