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Here’s news, on the hour, from Catholic Information Radio.
I’m Bryan Douglas in Philadelphia, and at this hour….
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Pope Benedict XVI underlined the mutual interests of the Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches, and the need for ecumenical cooperation in Europe, in a brief address on May 20 after a concert of Russian music.

At the end of the concert, which was part of the initiative entitled Days of Russian Culture and Spirituality in the Vatican, the Holy Father listened to a message sent by Patriarch Kirill and was greeted by Archbishop Hilarion, president of the Department for External Church Affairs of the Patriarchate of Moscow and composer of one of the pieces played during the concert. The Pope then delivered a brief address, .touching on at first of the music, then more generally of the challenges that face the world's two largest Christian bodies.

He expressed the thought there is, in fact, a close and fundamental bond between Russian music and liturgical chant. It is in the liturgy and from the liturgy that a large part of the artistic creativity of Russian musicians is released and expressed, giving life to masterpieces which deserve to be better known in the West.

Echoing a theme that Russian Orthodox leaders have frequently explored, he called for all Christians, Catholic and Orthodox, to work together to restore European appreciation for its Christian cultural heritage.

I’ll be back with more after this.
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Story 2:
Top Church officials have reacted cautiously to the announcement that a scientist has synthesized a living cell, using man-made DNA. The announcement by researcher J. Craig Venter has prompted discussions about man-made forms of life. Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, the president of the Italian bishops' conference, had a similar reaction. While welcoming any genuine scientific breakthrough, he said, the Church would insist that any advance must be "measured against the ethical dimension, which has at its heart the true dignity of every person."

Story 3:
Three Protestant churches and a pastor’s home were demolished on May 15 and 19 in Kano state in northern Nigeria after a local Shari’a court consented to their destruction. An official of Christian Solidarity Worldwide said that the demolitions violate Nigeria’s constitutional and international legal undertakings to uphold religious freedom and freedom of assembly. The Nigerian constitution stipulates that non-Muslims cannot be brought before Shari’a courts unless they have agreed to this in advance and in writing.

Story 4:
Having completed his term as president of the Catholic University of America, Msgr. David O'Connell met with Cardinal Zenon Gro she low ski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, to discuss his concerns about the loss of a distinctive Catholic identity in Church-sponsored institutions of higher learning in America. The focus of Msgr. O'Connell's concern was the "Land O Lakes statement," signed in 1967 by a group of Catholic university leaders, proclaiming their autonomy from the hierarchy.

Story 5:
The Family Research Council released a new study on Thursday, detailing how women who grow up without their biological parents are more likely to engage in homosexual conduct as adults versus women who were raised with both a father and a mother. The data for the study was drawn from 2002 statistics on 7,643 women between the ages of 14 and 44, provided by the National Survey of Family Growth, which was conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Analysis of the statistics was overseen by Dr. Fagan as well as Fr. Paul Sullins from the Department of Sociology at Catholic University.

This is Catholic Information News.

Story 6:
Brazilian Congresswoman Fatima Pelaes shared her personal testimony on the floor of the Brazilian House of Representatives during a vote on a measure that would protect the unborn from abortion. She told lawmakers that her mother was a victim of rape and decided to let her live rather than kill her through abortion. When she finished her remarks, the Defense of Life movement in Porto Allegre reported that “Everyone was moved and in tears. On Wednesday, Brazil’s House of Representatives passed the measure that grants legal protection to the unborn. It now will go before the Senate.

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