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The Pope and Me
...with all that has happened, Benedict has a tough task here in the USA. God help him.

In the first grade at St. Brigid's School on Long Island, Sister Mary Claudia made sixty urchins, including me, say a prayer to St. Peter because he was the "rock" upon which the Catholic Church was founded. I can't remember much more than that because I was six, but I do recall liking St. Peter which, of course, made the good Sister happy.

Now, more than 50 years after my first grade prayers, St. Peter's successor is here in America and I have mixed feelings about it.

Like millions of American catholics, I was deeply disappointed by the Vatican's response to the priest pedophilia scandal. The fact that the late Pope John Paul II actually rewarded Bernard Cardinal Law, who covered up massive crimes by New England priests, with a cushy job in Rome was almost inexcusable.

But unlike some other Catholics, I never confuse the actual theology with the people who run the church. Jesus had nothing to do with those horrendous clerical crimes. Men committed them and other men enabled the criminals. So, despite my deep anger, my faith was not impacted by the scandal. I simply felt Pope John Paul made a huge mistake.

Continue reading the full column...

Here are some of the big stories and guests coming up* on The Radio Factor and The O'Reilly Factor:

• Actress Brigitte Bardot is on trial in France for allegedly inciting racial hatred against Muslims, but did her actions warrant such a response? We'll discuss it...
• Former Senator Rick Santorum will enter the No Spin Zone to talk about the upcoming primary in his home state of Pennsylvania...
• Many TV fans fondly remember Bonanza. We'll talk to an expert on the show about its legacy...

* Lineups and schedules are always subject to change based on breaking news.

maunder / MON • dur /
v. to talk incoherently; to ramble.

Example: Guests on The Factor are not allowed to maunder; only Bill has the right to bloviate on the air.

Is Katie Couric out at CBS?
Thursday, April 10: Media observers Bernie Goldberg and Jane Hall reacted to the report that CBS may soon encourage Katie Couric to hoist anchor. Goldberg said, "I think [viewers have] decided that they don't want Katie coming into their homes in the evening." The Factor depicted CBS as a network in dire straits. "They can make more money if they can get an anchor for $5 million instead of $15 million."

The Factor Flash, a summary of the most recent installment of The O'Reilly Factor is posted every weekday on BillOReilly.com, and the Factor Flash archive is available to all visitors.

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