U.S. cardinal loses another Vatican job
VATICAN CITY – American Cardinal Raymond Burke, a fervent opponent of abortion and gay marriage, was removed by Pope Francis from another top Vatican post on Saturday.
The removal of Burke as head of the Holy See’s supreme court was widely expected in church circles.
While he was archbishop of St. Louis, from 2003-2008, Burke led fellow American bishops in campaigns to deny Communion to Catholic politicians who support legalized abortion. He has also questioned some of the pontiff’s pronouncements and approaches.
Last year, Francis took Burke off the Vatican’s powerful Congregation for Bishops, which deals with appointments of bishops worldwide.
On Saturday, he transferred Burke from the Vatican court job to the largely ceremonial post of Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a charity whose activities include hospitals and residences for the elderly around the world.
U.S. and Russia talk about Ukraine, Iran
BEIJING – Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday that the United States and Russia will keep talking about the deteriorating situation in eastern Ukraine, although he made clear that Washington does not accept Moscow’s denial of involvement in the arming of pro-Russian rebels.
“Suffice it to say that we do have some disagreements about some of the facts on the ground with respect to Ukraine,” Kerry said after a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Sergei Lavrov. “We have agreed to exchange some information between us regarding that. We have also agreed this is a dialogue between us that will continue.”
Kerry met with Lavrov in Beijing the day after Ukraine charged that 32 Russian tanks and almost as many Russian military vehicles had entered eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk region, ferrying ammunition and reinforcements to pro-Russian separatists opposed to the government in Kiev.
The incursion, if verified, raises questions about Russia’s support of a cease-fire.
Minutes before the two top diplomats sat down, while shaking hands before cameras, Lavrov sidestepped a question about whether Russia is sending troops and tanks into Ukraine.
“Even Jen Psaki said that the State Department doesn’t have the information about this,” he said, naming the State Department spokeswoman who is often scapegoated in Russia’s state-owned media for her criticisms of Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Pressed for details, Lavrov replied, “Well, if Psaki doesn’t have it, I don’t.”
Airstrikes target Islamic State leaders
BAGHDAD – The U.S. conducted a series of airstrikes targeting Islamic State leaders near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, U.S. military officials said Saturday.
The airstrikes on Friday night destroyed a convoy of 10 armed trucks believed to be carrying some Islamic State leaders, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe military operations.
The officials could not confirm whether the top Islamic State leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was among those targeted. Al-Baghdadi has declared himself the caliph, or supreme leader, of the vast areas of territory in Iraq and Syria under IS control.
Despite the airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition, Sunni militants have continued to carrying out deadly bombings targeting Iraqi security forces and civilians.
A suicide truck bomber struck the convoy of a top Iraqi police officer killing eight people, including the ranking official, authorities said Saturday, in an attack that bore the hallmarks of militants from the Islamic State group.
Also on Saturday, a series of bombings in and around the capital Baghdad killed at least 43 people, with the deadliest blast hitting the city’s sprawling Shiite district of Sadr City, where a car bomb tore through a commercial area, killing 11 people and wounding 21.
Associated Press
