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    As a sexual-abuse scandal continued to consume the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI named prelates to investigate four Irish archdioceses (as well as seminaries and religious houses) beginning this fall. The inquiry, known as an "apostolic visitation," had been announced in a March 19 letter to the Catholics of Ireland. Boston archbishop Cardinal Seán O'Malley and Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, are among those appointed "to explore more deeply questions concerning the handling of cases of abuse and the assistance owed to the victims." The Pope has already accepted the resignations of several Irish bishops.

    Five current or ex-Archbishops are among the investigators

    SEAN O'MALLEY

    TIMOTHY DOLAN

    TERRENCE PRENDERGAST

    THOMAS COLLINS

    CORMAC MURPHY-O'CONNOR

    * | What They're Lifting in Pakistan: While few Facebook critics have gotten far in taking on the Internet superpower, Pakistan at least won an apology. On May 19, amid protests over a page encouraging users to draw images of the Prophet Muhammad, Pakistan banned the site. Nearly two weeks later, just after Bangladesh imposed a similar ban, Facebook issued a mea culpa, along with assurances, according to Pakistani officials, that "nothing of this sort will happen in the future." Though it will continue to block some "sacrilegious material," Pakistan lifted the ban on May 31.

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