China-CLOSED CHURCHES China blocks unregistered church service again

SHANGHAI (AP) President Barack Obama says individual expression is not an American ideal but a universal right that should be available to all.

In his first presidential trip to Asia, Obama praised cooperative relations with China but sought to send a clear message to his tightly controlled host country.

Obama prodded China to accept what he called "universal rights," including "freedoms of expression, and worship, of access to information and political participation." Hours before Obama arrived, government officials in Beijing blocked members of an unregistered church from meeting in a park.

Another well-known underground church in Shanghai also has been told to close.

Worship in China is allowed only in state-approved churches, but millions of people belong to unregistered churches that often face official harassment. Leaders of those churches said if Obama doesn't speak up, the government will crack down even more.

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00:11 "peddle our debt" Congressman Chris Smith Congressman Chris Smith says the U.S. finances its huge budget deficits by selling bonds to China.

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00:15 "and copyright infringement" Congressman Chris Smith Congressman Chris Smith says President Barack Obama should emphasize human rights more than economic issues in China.

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00:07 "be good partners" Congressman Chris Smith Congressman Chris Smith says China's violations of religious and other human rights make it an unreliable negotiating partner.

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00:16 "are beaten, (uh) tortured" Congressmaher nations involved in the six-party talks don't want peace to lead to a strong reunited Korea.

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00:12 "a real mistake" The Reverend Franklin Graham The Reverend Franklin Graham says the U.S. should launch bilateral talks with North Korea.

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00:11 "don't think so" The Reverend Franklin Graham The Reverend Franklin Graham says the six-party talks with North Korea are doomed to failure.

FORT HOOD-CAHILL FUNERAL Civilian killed at Fort Hood mourned

CAMERON, Texas (AP) The only civilian who was killed in the Fort Hood shootings, physician assistant Michael Grant Cahill, has been given a 21-gun salute during his funeral.

More than 500 of Cahill's family members and friends attended Sunday's funeral mass at St. Monica's Catholic Church in Cameron, Texas.

The 62-year-old Cahill was among 13 people killed when Maj.

Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly opened fire on fellow soldiers Nov. 5 at the Texas military base. More than two dozen were wounded in the attack.

The Austin American-Statesman reports six soldiers carried Cahill's coffin out of the church amid the 21-gun salute.

Cahill's sister-in-law, Susan Murphy, told mourners how much he'll be missed by his family.

FROM FIREPROOF TO COURAGEOUS Church-based Filmmakers announce next project

ALBANY, Ga. (AP) The Georgia church that produced last year's independent Box Office hit "Fireproof" has announced that its next film will be titled "Courageous." The Rev. Stephen Kendrick says he and his brother, the Rev. Alex Kendrick, are writing the script for the movie they hope to begin shooting next year.

The Kendricks say it will be about four police officers who realize that their mission to serve and protect applies even more to their role as fathers.

Like their previous films "Flywheel," "Facing the Giants" and "Fireproof," the Kendricks will depend on talent and support from members of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga.

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00:09 "filling (uh) these roles" The Reverend Stephen Kendrick The Reverend Stephen Kendrick says the starring roles for "Courageous" haven't been cast yet.

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00:08 "and his family" The Reverend Stephen Kendrick The Reverend Stephen Kendrick says the police officers in "Courageous" will realize the importance of their role as fathers.

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00:16 "for their kids" The Reverend Stephen Kendrick The Reverend Stephen Kendrick says he and his brother, the Reverend Alex Kendrick, are writing the script for "Courageous," a film about four police officers.

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00:16 "fathers is lacking" The Reverend Stephen Kendrick The Reverend Stephen Kendrick says he and his brother have announced their next film project.

HUCKABEE-A SIMPLE Christmas Pastor-turned-politician writes Christmas book

Washington (AP) Pastor-turned-politician Mike Huckabee is more pastoral than political in his new book "A Simple Christmas." Through personal stories and reflections on the birth of Jesus Christ, the former ArKansas governor and presidential candidate reflects on the relationships, love and sacrifice that make Christmas meaningful.

Huckabee says God couldn't have entered the world in more simple even destitute circumstances than being wrapped in rags and cradled in an animal's food trough.

The former Southern Baptist pastor says that should remind us that when times are tough and we feel like we have nothing, God understands because He's been there.

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00:15 "think he would" Former Governor Mike Huckabee Former Governor Mike Huckabee says God experienced poverty in Jesus' birth.

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00:10 "is pretty simple" Former Governor Mike Huckabee Former Governor Mike Huckabee says the circumstances of Jesus' birth were far from glorious.

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00:18 "or Lamaze classes" Former Governor Mike Huckabee Former Governor Mike Huckabee says the first Christmas in Bethlehem was simple.

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00:13 "with each other" Former Governor Mike Huckabee Former Governor Mike Huckabee says a common theme emerges from the stories in his new book: "A Simple Christmas."


MILWAUKEE-ARCHBISHOP Pope names new leader for Milwaukee archdiocese

MILWAUKEE (AP) Pope Benedict has named Bishop Jerome Listecki, a retired military man who has been outspoken on political issues, to be the new archbishop of Milwaukee.

Listecki will succeed Timothy Dolan, who was named archbishop of New York earlier this year.

The 60-year-old Listecki, who is currently bishop of La Crosse, has admonished House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her interpretation of Catholic teachings on the beginnings of life, and earlier this year criticized the University of Notre Dame's decision to honor Barack Obama.

In Milwaukee, Listecki will face a number of challenges. The archdiocese launched a $105 million fundraising campaign several years ago and expects to hit its target in the spring. But it also faces 14 lawsuits related to clergy sexual-abuse allegations, which could force it into bankruptcy.

MALTA-POPE Pope to visit Malta to commemorate apostle's shipwreck

VALLETTA, Malta (AP) The bishop of Malta says Pope Benedict will visit the Mediterranean island next April to mark the 1950th anniversary of the apostle Paul's shipwreck.

Bishop Paul Cremona says Benedict will celebrate an open-air Mass and meet with young people at the Valletta waterfront during the two-day visit.

The Bible says the apostle Paul stayed three months on Malta after being shipwrecked on the way to Rome, and was treated well by the islanders, who sometimes sought miraculous cures from him.

Benedict has three other possible foreign trips planned in 2010, including visits to Cyprus, Britain and Fatima, Portugal.

ISRAEL-INTEL PROTEST Intel to remain open on Sabbath in Jerusalem despite protests

JERUSALEM (AP) Intel Corp. says it has no plans to close a factory in Jerusalem on Saturdays, despite protests by ultra-Orthodox Jews who accuse the chip maker of desecrating the Jewish Sabbath.

About 1,500 protesters demonstrated Saturday outside the company's facilities.

Intel spokesman Kobi Bachar says the protests were sparked by the opening of a new facility at the site. But he said Intel has operated on Saturdays for more than 20 years and will continue to do so.

Ultra-Orthodox activists often protest businesses that open on Saturdays. Most work places in Jerusalem shut down for the Jewish Sabbath, which lasts from sundown Friday until Saturday night.

Tensions between secular and ultra-Orthodox Jews, who make up a third of Jerusalem's residents, have always been high. Relations worsened last year when voters elected a secular mayor to replace the ultra-Orthodox incumbent.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 11-16-09 0230CST | save this article / add to your favorites list