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This is news of the hour, from Catholic Information Radio.
I’m Bryan Douglas in Philadelphia, and at this hour….
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Lead:
In a message embracing the potential of digital media, Pope Benedict has asked priests around the world to use Web sites, videos, and blogs as tools of pastoral ministry.

The Holy Father said quote "Priests stand at the threshold of a new era: as new technologies create deeper forms of relationship across greater distances, they are called to respond pastorally by putting the media ever more effectively at the service of the Word," unquote

The message, released from the Vatican Jan. 23, was tailored to highlight World Communications Day, which will be celebrated May 16 in most dioceses.

The pope said that while priests should not abandon traditional methods of pastoral interaction, they cannot afford to pass up the opportunities offered by digital media. He said the recent, explosive growth and greater impact of these media technologies make them all the more pertinent.

The pope emphasized, however, that the church's role is not simply to fill up space on the Web. Its' goal is to express in the digital world something concrete and engaging.

For priests to effectively use new media, formation programs should teach them how to use these technologies in a competent and appropriate way, the papal message continued. This formation in digital media must be guided by sound theology and priestly spirituality, the message also said.

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Story 2:
Despite overcast skies, the mood at Friday's annual March for Life in Washington was decidedly upbeat as speaker after speaker urged the crowd to keep up their efforts in the pro-life arena.

Speakers told the tens of thousands on the National Mall that they were now in the majority and would continue to make inroads in society and in government policies.

Others highlighted the pro-life movement's outreach efforts and urged participants to support pro-life doctors and pharmacists and to let members of their community know about the available pregnancy centers or post-abortion counseling programs.

With a backdrop of the US Capitol, over 20 Catholic bishops and 21 members of Congress joined pro-life leaders on the stage.

Story 3:
Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York led hundreds of Haitians in a funeral Mass at the ruins of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Saturday. The Mass was for Archbishop Joseph Miot who died in the quake. The Mass also remembered the thousands of others killed during that same disaster.

Flying into the country’s capital aboard a plane filled with humanitarian aid, he arrived just as the government officially shifted its emphasis from search-and-rescue to clothing and housing survivors. Dolan, who is also Chairman of the Board for Catholic Relief Services, was invited by the apostolic nuncio to that country, Archbishop Bernardito Auza.

Francis Cardinal George also requested that Dolan represent the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at the event. According to a USCCB statement, as a "sign of the solidarity and concern" of the bishops for the people of Haiti, the conference's general secretary, Monsignor David Malloy, accompanied the prelate.

This is Catholic Information News.

Story 5:
He was ranked as one of the best prospects for the Major Leagues. He was prepared for a professional career in baseball. It would have brought with it all of the accompanying “perks”: the salary, the adulation of fans, and the excitement of the sport.

However, something happened to Californian Grant Desme along the way. He heard the same call which has echoed for over two millennia by millions of other men. This young Catholic athlete has decided to accept the Lord’s invitation, and is entering the seminary to begin training for ordination as a priest.

Story 6:
A 424-page codex that honors Saint Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, with illustrations and writings in the spirit of the ancient monastic codices, has been presented to the Holy Father.

Benedictine Abbot Edmund Power presented the volume to the Pope this evening at the closing vespers of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which was held at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. The volume was inscribed with wishes from a wide range of patriarchs and participants in the meetings held at the Vatican.

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And that’s top news of the hour.
I’m Bryan Douglas, CIR NEWS, for Catholic Information Radio.