How unwise remains to be seen. Possibilities range from costly to self-destructive. In Pope John Paul II's first Christmas sermon, he shared his dream of making a pilgrimage to Israel, Jordan and the painful patchwork of land in between. I wonder if it's true that a presidential candidate has to trash some religious figures to get elected in this nation. It's Oscar time, when the glitterati of Hollywood preen for a worldwide audience.
Nominees cross their fingers hoping to win one of the gold-plated statuettes.
Pope John Paul II is in the Holy Land this week, making a historic visit to, among other things, seek reconciliation between the Roman Catholic Church and Jews. In kindergarten, Mariko Yakiyama was fascinated with the Christmas party at her Christian school. The kind of religious feeling espoused by two of the most respected religious leaders in history is a far cry from the sentimentality found in today's culture. Some years back, a student approached religious-studies Professor Kay Read with a complaint. The student attended a Catholic church where the prayers, which she had memorized, had always been recited in Latin.