Varia from the newsosphere

It is, without surprise, a busy time even for the news biz. Here are a few stories of interest.

First, CNA has a story about the politicians doing what they do so well - taking a quote out of context and twisting it to suit their needs. Just when I thought I'd see a little reprieve from nasty politics, now that the primaries have moved on and forgotten New Hampshire. A small snip:

The Holy See’s Press Office has expressed amazement at how Pope Benedict XVI’s meeting with the mayor of Rome and other regional government officials yesterday is being used for political gain.
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Political rivals of those currently in office seized on the Pope’s comments as an opportunity to gain political capital.

Next, CWN tells us that we're (again) drawing closer to a final draft of the revised Missal. Not to sound cranky, but this thing has a release schedule that feels just like a software project.

A new English-language version of the Roman Missal is nearing completion, the Congregation for Divine Worship has announced. But the Vatican's timetable suggests that the text will not be available until late this year, at the earliest.
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After the final draft is prepared under the direction of the Vox Clara committee, it will be submitted to the Congregation for Divine Worship for final approval.

Just to make sure you don't forget that there are people out there who still are either incredibly inept or hold a deep-seated hatred of Catholics, there's this story from CNA. It reminds me why I rarely listen to NPR.

A January 7 public radio skit that made disparaging remarks about the Eucharist while attacking Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee provoked outrage from Catholics and a speedy apology from its distributor.
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Whoever the skit creator was, Donohue said, “he or she used presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee and evangelicals as foil, saving the real sucker punch for Roman Catholics. This is despicable on several counts: it is blasphemous and bigoted. But it may also be motivated by a political calculus, making it really dirty if it is.”

And finally, this from CWN:

Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) sounded the alarm about an "educational emergency" during a January 10 meeting with political leaders from Rome and he surrounding Lazio district.

The "emergency" to which the Holy Father referred was the growth of relativism. Young people, he said, find it difficult to develop "firm certainties and criteria upon which to build their lives." This failure of moral guidance, the Pope said, threatens "the very basis of coexistence and the future of society."

Clarity, right straight from the top. Yet another reason I love being a Catholic.