In a case that could determine restrictions on expressions of faith in the public square, the Supreme Court on Wednesday will consider religious prayers that convene government meetings.

A mortar round hit the apostolic nunciature in the Syrian capital, causing limited damage to the building and no causalities because of the early hour of the strike.

"The Holy Father should not have received that individual," said Polish Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, who served as personal secretary to the pope for 39 years.

Suggest Feb. 8 -- the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese slave who found freedom in Italy and became a nun in the 19th century -- as the best day.

Archbishop John Nienstedt, his predecessors and other archdiocesan leaders have drawn criticism for their handling of allegations of clergy sexual abuse of minors in recent decades.

The book, A Language of the Heart, is dedicated to the life of Anne Smedinghoff, who was killed in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan.