PEOPLE

Jesuit Fr. John Dear, peace activist and teacher of nonviolence, has been nominated for the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize. The nomination was made by Leo Rebello, World Peace Envoy from Bombay, India, and Charles Mercieca, president of the International Association of Educators for World Peace and endorsed by Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Four centuries after he was called by church officials to retract teachings deemed suspect of heresy, the 17th-century Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei will be returning to Vatican City. A statue of the scientist will be erected in Vatican City -- the exact site has not been determined -- to help commemorate next year’s celebration of the International Year of Astronomy and the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first use of the telescope to observe the cosmos.

If children can drink wine during Holy Communion, then Robert George Henry, member of the Hawaii Cannabis Ministry, insists he should be able to smoke marijuana without being hassled by the cops. Henry is asking a Harrisburg, Pa., judge to dismiss drunk driving and marijuana possession charges, claiming that his right to take a toke for spiritual enlightenment is protected under the Constitution.

The family of former Philippine President Corazon Aquino announced March 24 that their mother had been diagnosed with colon cancer and was to begin prechemotherapy the following day. They would not reveal the stage of the illness, saying only that their mother asks for privacy and prayers. Aquino, 75, took office after the 1986 “people power” uprising in Manila deposed Ferdinand Marcos. During her six-year term as president, she restored many of the democratic institutions Marcos had dismantled in his 21-year rule.

National Catholic Reporter, April 4, 2008