Pope's anniversary

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Pope's tenure as bishop of Rome. This Zenit report tells of the day's activities, including an interesting meditation on the meaning and structure of vespers, the evening prayer in the liturgy of the hours.

The Globe and Mail's Michael Valpy, who fancies himself the newspaper's resident expert on all matters religious, gives readers his own somewhat rambling assessment of John Paul II's pontificate, including some comments on the current extraordinary Lambeth conference and the plight of the post-Vatican II Catholic Church in the Netherlands.