Pope cancels trip to Rome university after protests
Pope Benedict XVI has canceled his visit to Rome's secular La Sapienza university following a protest letter signed by 67 of 4,500 professors and complaints by thousands of students that he devalues science.
But the Vatican says the pope's views were distorted and taken out of historic context and that his speech will still be sent to the university even though the pontiff will not deliver it.
"It was considered opportune to skip the event," Vatican sources told the Associated Press.
Such a cancellation of a scheduled papal event is extremely rare, and the few times it has happened in recent decades, the Vatican cited security concerns. When news of the cancellation reached the campus on Tuesday, students in a political sciences hall broke into applause....
Dr. Alan Cairns | 8/3/2009
