(SRN NEWS)-( ) The same travertine quarries near Rome that the caesars used to build the city are still being dug out today, providing the coveted rock to build a new generation of houses of worship around the world. Travertine is prized by architects because it is strong, plentiful and can withstand any number of […]
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(SRN NEWS)-( ) The same travertine quarries near Rome that the caesars used to build the city are still being dug out today, providing the coveted rock to build a new generation of houses of worship around the world. Travertine is prized by architects because it is strong, plentiful and can withstand any number of climactic and environmental assaults. The fact that many ancient buildings made of the stone are still standing provides a kind of 2,000-year guarantee for purchasers. Churches are particularly interested in travertine these days and some Jewish synagogues are using it too. It comes in a variety of different colors and looks.
( ) A New Jersey Catholic diocese outside Philadelphia has agreed to pay 180 million dollars in a priest sexual abuse settlement, the latest in a church scandal set off more than two decades ago. The Camden diocese, like others nationwide, filed for bankruptcy amid a torrent of lawsuits after the statute of limitations was relaxed. Other large priest abuse settlements reached by the Catholic Church in the U.S. include 880 million dollars in Los Angeles, 230 million in New Orleans and roughly 80 million in Boston and Philadelphia. The scandal is also affecting Catholic dioceses around the world.
( ) Texas Tech has canceled a campus talk by a doctor who performs late term abortions. University officials said hosting the event, which had been scheduled for late January, was not in the school’s best interest. The speaker planned to discuss medical and ethical issues around late term procedures — sometimes called partial birth abortions. Medical Students for Choice organized the talk. Pro-life activists and a conservative student group argued that the event would promote illegal activity since Texas has an abortion ban. The Texas Tech chapter of Turning Point USA later issued a statement echoing that argument.
( ) This year’s World Cup soccer tournament will take place at sites all across the U.S., Canada and Mexico and it is expected to increase prostitution in the latter country. Prostitution is not criminalized in Mexico, and in the capital it involves thousands of women. In September, Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada (broo-GAH-dah) announced that the local government would help promote prostitution during the World Cup as part of a “just society”. The event gets underway on June 11th with opening ceremonies at Aztec Stadium in Mexico City and a match between Mexico and South Africa. A total of 13 matches will be held in Mexico.