*POPE BEGS FORGIVENESS, **PROMISES ACTION ON ABUSE:* Pope Benedict XVI begged forgiveness Friday from clerical abuse victims for the sins of priests and promised to "do everything possible" to ensure that prelates don't rape or molest children ever again. Benedict's pledge was similar to comments he has made in the past. But it was uttered in the highly symbolic setting of a Mass in St. Peter's Square concelebrated by 15,000 white-robed priests, all marking the end of the Vatican's Year of the Priest - a year marred by revelations of hundreds of new cases of clerical abuse, cover-ups in several nations and Vatican inaction to root out pedophiles.
*MASS MUSLIM MARRIAGE IN GAZA:* A gala event has occurred in Gaza. Hamas sponsored a mass wedding for four hundred and fifty couples. Most of the grooms were in their mid to late twenties; most of brides were under ten. Muslim dignitaries including Mahmud Zahar, a leader of Hamas, were on hand to congratulate the couples who took part in the carefully staged celebration. We are saying to the world and to America that you cannot deny us joy and happiness, Zahar told the grooms, all of whom were dressed in identical black suits and hailed from the nearby Jabalia refugee camp. Each groom received a gift of 500 dollars from Hamas. The pre-pubescent girls dressed in white gowns and adorned with garish make-up, received bridal bouquets. We are presenting this wedding as a gift to our people who stood firm in the face of the siege and the war. Local Hamas strongman Ibrahim Salaf said in a speech. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "WebTV Dawgs/Dittos" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/webtv-pals?hl=en.
