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Religion

Pope's Health Worsens at Vatican

Pope John Paul II has developed a high fever and is being treated at the Vatican for a urinary tract infection. There are reports in the Italian media that the sacrament known as "last rites" has been administered. Michele Norris talks with John Allen, Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter.

Pope's Health Worsens at Vatican

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Catholic Doctrine on the End of Life

Michele Norris talks with Father John J. Paris, professor of bioethics at Boston College, about Catholic doctrine concerning the end of life. He discusses church teaching on the subject and a 2004 statement by the Pope on administering food and water to patients.

Catholic Doctrine on the End of Life

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National

Connecticut Legislature May OK Gay Civil Unions

Connecticut may become the first state to establish civil unions for same-sex couples without a judicial mandate. The legislation is receiving support from both parties in the state, including Connecticut's Republican governor. Amy Jeffries of member station WNPR reports.

Connecticut Legislature May OK Gay Civil Unions

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Easter's History Around the World

Whether it's the Easter bunny or the Playboy bunny, the icons are linked in their meanings, according to folklore experts. And in Sweden, girls dress up as witches during Holy Week. NPR's Debbie Elliott gets the history behind Easter traditions around the world from Moira Smith, a folklore librarian at Indiana University.

Easter's History Around the World

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The Pope's Suffering Ends

Pope Offers Silent Blessing

Tens of thousands of Christians gathered in St. Peter's Square in Rome for Easter Mass saw Pope John Paul II bless them with the sign of the cross, but the ailing pontiff did not celebrate mass. NPR's Debbie Elliott speaks with John Allen of The National Catholic Reporter.

Pope John Paul Offers Silent Easter Blessings

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Pope Gives Silent Blessing

Pope John Paul II appeared in St. Peter's Square in celebration of Easter Sunday, but was unable to pronounce his Easter blessing to the world. Tens of thousands had gathered at the Vatican after illness forced the pope to miss Holy Week events for the first time since his election in 1978.

Pope Gives Silent Blessing at Easter Celebration

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Opinion

Schiavo Case is Grayest of Gray Areas

Commentator Kelly McBride says despite efforts by many parties to reduce the Schiavo case to black and white for their own purposes, it represents the grayest of gray areas. McBride heads the ethics department at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies.

Schiavo Case is Grayest of Gray Areas

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Ailing Pope to Sit out Easter Ceremonies

A cardinal who stood in for Pope John Paul II at a Vatican ceremony Thursday says the ailing 84-year-old pontiff is "serenely abandoning" himself to God's will. The pope watched the service on television from his Vatican apartment and is not expected to take an active role in the weekend's Easter ceremonies.

Ailing Pope to Sit out Easter Ceremonies

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Radio Expeditions

The Sacred Corn Beer of the Tarahumara

In Mexico's Sierra Madre range, the religious drama of Easter has been refashioned by indigenous groups into an expression of cultural solidarity, replete with barrels of corn beer called tesguino.

The Sacred Corn Beer of the Tarahumara

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Ivory Coast Cathedral Is World's Largest Christian Church

The world's largest Christian church is in the Ivory Coast capital of Yamoussoukro. The multimillion-dollar basilica rises out of the slums of the city and was supposed to provide social services for the poor in the developing African country. But the social projects never materialized, and the church sits mostly empty during mass.

Ivory Coast Cathedral Is World's Largest Christian Church

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