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When Sister Roxana Rodriguez of the Little Disciples of Jesus convent just outside of
Reiti, Italy returned home after an extended visit to her home in El Salvador she seemed
a little swollen. She blamed the discomfort and swelling on poor digestion and cystitis,
but soon found herself rushed to hospital where she gave birth to a nine pound baby
boy.
When asked how she could have not realized that she was pregnant, she claimed to have
lost track of her menstrual cycle for the better part of a year. Doctors report that
when she was informed of the pregnancy she shouted, "I can't give birth. I'm a nun."
Precisely what she expected the doctors to do about that is not made clear.
She has decided to keep the baby who is reportedly the result of a tryst with an old flame during
her visit home. The nun has named the baby Francis after the new pope. Her future with
the order is - at this time - uncertain, but unlikely.
Thirty years ago, Ulf Ekman founded Word of Life Ministries and the Word of Life mega-church
in Uppsala, Sweden. The Livets Ord (Swedish for Word of Life) Church, which espouses prosperity
theology, had grown to some 3,300 congregants when Ekman stepped down from his leadership
role last spring.
So it came as something of a shock to several of Livets Ord's membership when he announced
recently that he and his wife Brigitta have decided to convert to Roman Catholicism. Those
closer to the Ekman's were less surprised, as their conversation with the Catholic Church
had been ongoing for several years.
In an article penned for the Swedish newspaper Daegens Nyheter, Ekman wrote, "I have come
to realize that the movement I have represented for the last 30 years, despite successes and
much good that has occurred on various mission fields, is part of the ongoing Protestant
fragmentation of Christendom."
With no apologies, Ekman explained in a statement to his former congregation that he and Brigitte
felt called to Catholicism by Jesus, and wished the Church well, saying, "we are convinced
that the Word of Life church is in good hands and will keep prospering and bear fruit in
it's own vision."
In France, the National Front Party is seeing a boost in popularity as anti-Muslim and anti-immigration
sentiment rises in countries across Western Europe. The far-right party has become France's
third largest, and its leader, Marine Le Pen, has plans for her party and her country. Le
Pen, who won eighteen percent of the vote when she ran for president in 2012, says she
only wants to apply the principles of secularism, especially with regard to French Muslims.
French law already forbids government funding of religious groups but exceptions are made
in the case of organizations that serve the general interest as well. Le Pen says her
party will deny funds to any organization of a religious nature in towns where National
Front wins the vote.
A strict application of secularist principles may also include banning halal food in public
schools and forbidding women in headscarves from accompanying children on class trips.
Le Pen denies being anti-Muslim, trying to put a kinder face on the party than her father,
party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen. She calls herself a patriot standing up for France's
Christian roots.
"The National Front neither deals in nor supports Islamophobia," says Le Pen, holding "political-religious
groups" responsible instead. In an interview with the Associated Press, she declined to
offer predictions about the outcome of the municipal elections, but said she is "certain"
of victories. In the elections, there are 3,000 towns of significance where voting will
take place. The National Front currently controls no towns, and hopes to run candidates in 500
of them.