National Catholic Reporter

A former reporter for The Inquirer has settled a lawsuit in which he claimed he was defamed by the newspaper's top editor. Ralph Cipriano, a former religion writer, and Philadelphia Newspapers Inc., publisher of The Inquirer, issued a joint announcement yesterday saying Cipriano's litigation against the newspaper had ended. The terms of the settlement, including any financial details, were not made public. A confidentiality provision was made part of the agreement. Cipriano, 46, and Inquirer editor Robert J. Rosenthal both said they were pleased that the lawsuit had been resolved.

Inquirer reporter Ralph Cipriano yesterday sued his newspaper and its editor, contending that he was defamed in remarks made by editor Robert J. Rosenthal about Cipriano's reporting on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The suit, filed in Common Pleas Court, contends that Rosenthal's comments - quoted in a Washington Post article in June - destroyed Cipriano's reputation, injuring his opportunities for advancement and future employment. The article by Post media critic Howard Kurtz reported on a controversy over Cipriano's assertion that The Inquirer had refused to publish all of his investigative findings about the archdiocese and Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua.

A reporter for The Inquirer who filed a libel lawsuit against the newspaper and its editor on Aug. 7 has been fired. Ralph Cipriano, who had asserted publicly that the newspaper refused to print critical stories he had written about the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, said yesterday that two editors hand-delivered a dismissal letter to him at his home Friday. Pamela Browner, a spokeswoman for Philadelphia Newspapers Inc., publisher of The Inquirer and Daily News, declined to comment, saying the company considers personnel matters confidential.

Through all the joys and trials in Anne Houghton's life, the Catholic Church has been there for her. Now, with the church facing a crisis of biblical proportions, Houghton is returning the favor. "In any family, people have problems. We don't give up on them. We try to help them. It's the same with the church," said Houghton, 61, who raised six children in St. Timothy's Parish, in the Mayfair section of the city. Elizabeth Smith is not as forgiving. She refuses to put one penny more in the collection plate until the church comes clean with the names of priests accused of sexual abuse of children.

Around the Vatican, where cardinals and bishops and even monsignors are known to assume patrician airs, Archbishop John Foley stays down to earth. Strolling across the foyer of the Savoy Hotel, where he is about to address a conference, the Darby native says: "Let's wait here. " He slips inside a dim storage room strewn with suitcases and tablecloths and eases his ample frame onto a sofa. Moments later, a porter enters and does a double-take. "No, no," the man says: A distinguished prelate does not belong here.

The lay board investigating clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church has accused the national bishops' conference of hiding the fact that some bishops - including Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia - are seeking to put off an audit this year of their handling of sex-abuse issues. The squabble reveals a struggle between Catholic lay leaders and the bishops over continuing oversight of the child sex-abuse problem in the American church. "I think some of them want to retrench," Robert Bennett, a prominent member of the National Review Board (NRB)

Nearly every stand-up comedian from Chris Rock to George Carlin has made at least an oblique reference to the possibility that God may not only be black, but a woman as well. But gifted artist Janet McKenzie wasn't joking around. Her painting of a dark-skinned Jesus won first prize among 1,700 entries submitted to a National Catholic Reporter (NCR) magazine's global contest to update the image of Christ for the new millennium. McKenzie calls her painting Jesus of the People, and used a woman model for part of her work.

The Inquirer's coverage of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is making news - a discomforting twist for a newspaper more accustomed to presenting the news. The rap, which first appeared June 12 in the weekly City Paper, contends that The Inquirer has adopted a "hands off" attitude toward covering the archdiocese and its leader, Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua. Written by Frank Lewis, the story is based on an unflattering profile of the cardinal's financial management priorities, published in the National Catholic Reporter, a lay Catholic magazine.

It's the toughest beat in sports, maybe in all of journalism. It's four hundred stories a year. And more than a few are about meaningless ballgames with seemingly identical plots. It's airports and junk food and laptops on the fritz. It's hotel rooms and hotel bars when you'd rather be home with the kids. It's about million-dollar babies who would rather spit on you. And sometimes do. And if you're Paul Hagen, it's about covering an endless string of losers. Until this year, that is. Paul Hagen covers baseball for the Philadelphia Daily News.

Just when the millennium souvenir bandwagon looked like it had reached capacity, Jim Koch, CEO of Boston Beer, proclaims, "I've got the first Y3K product. " It's Millennium, an extremely potent beer that will be bottled and sold in time for the new year. The brew, though, is not meant to be chugged to "Auld Lang Syne" on Jan. 1, 2000, or 2001 or 2101. Koch believes, at $30 to $50 a bottle, it should be passed down from generation to generation, then uncorked on New Year's Day 3000.

Around the Vatican, where cardinals and bishops and even monsignors are known to assume patrician airs, Archbishop John Foley stays down to earth. Strolling across the foyer of the Savoy Hotel, where he is about to address a conference, the Darby native says: "Let's wait here. " He slips inside a dim storage room strewn with suitcases and tablecloths and eases his ample frame onto a sofa. Moments later, a porter enters and does a double-take. "No, no," the man says: A distinguished prelate does not belong here.

The lay board investigating clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church has accused the national bishops' conference of hiding the fact that some bishops - including Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia - are seeking to put off an audit this year of their handling of sex-abuse issues. The squabble reveals a struggle between Catholic lay leaders and the bishops over continuing oversight of the child sex-abuse problem in the American church. "I think some of them want to retrench," Robert Bennett, a prominent member of the National Review Board (NRB)

Shortly before noon Tuesday, the United States' newest Roman Catholic archbishop, Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, will ascend the steps of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. There he will kneel before Pope John Paul II. As thousands of pilgrims watch, including a delegation of 87 from Philadelphia, the Pope will present Rigali with a scarlet biretta, or three-lobed hat - making him the nation's newest cardinal. As such, the 68-year-old Rigali will almost certainly be among the approximately 120 cardinals who will one day elect the next pope.

For many Catholics, meeting the Pope for the first time is a deeply spiritual experience. Jim Nicholson didn't have the luxury of those feelings. Nicholson, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, had just arrived in what was supposed to be a low-key posting as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican when the Sept. 11 attacks happened. Two days later, he was scheduled to present his credentials to Pope John Paul II. What might have been a celebratory occasion was suddenly fraught with geopolitical significance tinged in high emotion and a sense of crisis.

After resigning yesterday as archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, Cardinal Bernard Law now must give a deposition in civil action and could soon be facing questions from a Massachusetts grand jury investigating the priest sex-abuse scandal. It was unclear in what capacity Cardinal Law, 71, will continue to serve the church. But it appears certain he will be tethered legally to this city for months to come. Boston lawyer Roderick MacLeish, who represents hundreds of people suing the archdiocese for alleged sexual abuse, said Cardinal Law was due to give depositions in his office Tuesday.

The Roman Catholic Church is facing two sexual abuse scandals. One, concerning children and young adults, will be confronted with painful directness as three hundred of the nation's bishops begin meeting today in Dallas. The other largely has been ignored. "When will the nun stories surface again?" Allan Wolper asked earlier this week in the monthly column he writes on ethics for Editor & Publisher. The nun stories are not sweet tales of singing sisters. They are accounts of the sexual abuse and rape of nuns by priests and bishops in 23 countries - including the United States - over a 10-year period.

Through all the joys and trials in Anne Houghton's life, the Catholic Church has been there for her. Now, with the church facing a crisis of biblical proportions, Houghton is returning the favor. "In any family, people have problems. We don't give up on them. We try to help them. It's the same with the church," said Houghton, 61, who raised six children in St. Timothy's Parish, in the Mayfair section of the city. Elizabeth Smith is not as forgiving. She refuses to put one penny more in the collection plate until the church comes clean with the names of priests accused of sexual abuse of children.

Jesus the Nazarene was a figure who changed world history. His story is undying, His teachings set to countless hearts. But what did the wandering peasant look like? With Easter around the corner, the face of Jesus has arisen as something of a seasonal theme. A lavish, two-hour film, The Face: Jesus in Art, had its world premiere last night at Radio City Music Hall and will be aired on public television on Easter Sunday, April 15. For Lent, a little church in Camden is displaying a number of folksy, diverse Jesus pictures.

A former reporter for The Inquirer has settled a lawsuit in which he claimed he was defamed by the newspaper's top editor. Ralph Cipriano, a former religion writer, and Philadelphia Newspapers Inc., publisher of The Inquirer, issued a joint announcement yesterday saying Cipriano's litigation against the newspaper had ended. The terms of the settlement, including any financial details, were not made public. A confidentiality provision was made part of the agreement. Cipriano, 46, and Inquirer editor Robert J. Rosenthal both said they were pleased that the lawsuit had been resolved.

Nearly every stand-up comedian from Chris Rock to George Carlin has made at least an oblique reference to the possibility that God may not only be black, but a woman as well. But gifted artist Janet McKenzie wasn't joking around. Her painting of a dark-skinned Jesus won first prize among 1,700 entries submitted to a National Catholic Reporter (NCR) magazine's global contest to update the image of Christ for the new millennium. McKenzie calls her painting Jesus of the People, and used a woman model for part of her work.