Pio Laghi

Archbishop Pio Laghi, who has been the Pope's personal representative in the United States since 1980, will return to Rome in early May to head the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education. "I am pleased for Archbishop Laghi but sad for ourselves," said Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk of Cincinnati, president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Cardinal Pio Laghi, 86, a longtime Vatican diplomat who went to Washington to try to dissuade President Bush from launching the 2003 invasion of Iraq, died Saturday at a Rome hospital where he had been treated for some time, Vatican Radio said. Pope John Paul II tapped Laghi, a former envoy to Washington, in 2003 to meet with Bush on the eve of the war. Laghi was trying to prevent what he said was a morally and legally unjustified invasion. Laghi, who had been friendly with the Bush family, delivered a letter from John Paul and pressed Bush on whether he was doing everything to avert war. "You might start and you don't know how to end it," Laghi said at the time.

Cardinal Pio Laghi, 86, a longtime Vatican diplomat who went to Washington to try to dissuade President Bush from launching the 2003 invasion of Iraq, died Saturday at a Rome hospital where he had been treated for some time, Vatican Radio said. Pope John Paul II tapped Laghi, a former envoy to Washington, in 2003 to meet with Bush on the eve of the war. Laghi was trying to prevent what he said was a morally and legally unjustified invasion. Laghi, who had been friendly with the Bush family, delivered a letter from John Paul and pressed Bush on whether he was doing everything to avert war. "You might start and you don't know how to end it," Laghi said at the time.

Archbishop Pio Laghi, who has been the Pope's personal representative in the United States since 1980, will return to Rome in early May to head the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education. "I am pleased for Archbishop Laghi but sad for ourselves," said Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk of Cincinnati, president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Pope John Paul II has accepted the resignation of Bishop Thomas Larkin of St. Petersburg, Fla., Apostolic Pro-Nuncio Pio Laghi said Tuesday.

Pope John Paul II has accepted the resignation of Bishop George Hammes, 73, bishop of Superior, Wis., since 1960, Archbishop Pio Laghi, apostolic pro-nuncio, announced Thursday. No reason was given for the resignation. Hammes will be succeeded by Bishop Raphael Fliss, who has served the Superior diocese since 1979 as coadjutor bishop.

Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan, a veteran Vatican diplomat, has been named papal envoy to the United States, the Vatican announced. Pope John Paul II appointed the 63-year-old Italian to succeed Archbishop Pio Laghi, 68, recently transferred to Rome to head the Congregation for Catholic Education. Cacciavillan has been serving as envoy to India and Nepal. One of the tasks of a nuncio is to advise the Pope on the appointment of bishops.

Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen said Wednesday that both he and the Vatican are satisfied with the results of a five-year Vatican review of his enforcement of church doctrine in areas such as homosexuality, annulment and birth control. "Over the time span we have certainly taken a long, hard look at ourselves and we have communicated it back to the people who asked the questions in the first place," Hunthausen said at a news conference. "I'm saying there's satisfaction on all levels that this has been done conscientiously and done well," the Seattle archbishop said.

The Vatican, which upset some American bishops when it disciplined Seattle Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen last year, has asked three of the nation's most influential Roman Catholic churchmen to take a new look at the situation. In a brief statement issued through the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Pope John Paul II's representative to the United States said Monday that two cardinals, Joseph L.

Pope John Paul II has added two leading U.S. Catholic bishops to the already-elected four-member delegation that will attend October's Synod on the Laity in Rome, Archbishop Pio Laghi has announced. The Pope named Archbishop Roger Mahony of Los Angeles and Bishop Anthony Bevilacqua of Pittsburgh as his choices for addition to the U.S. delegation elected by colleagues in November, said Laghi, the Vatican's ambassador to the United States. The four elected delegates are Archbishop John May of St.

A Vatican agency has barred a Roman Catholic university in Switzerland from granting an honorary degree to Archbishop Rembert C. Weakland of Milwaukee because of statements the prelate has made about abortion.

The Most Rev. Eugene A. Marino became the nation's first black Roman Catholic archbishop Thursday, telling his mostly white parishioners that his status need not "affect the quality of my ministry." An overflow crowd at the Atlanta Civic Center applauded Marino, a native of Biloxi, Miss., as he entered the hall and interrupted him several times with more applause.