51.   Seven nuns who were seized by rebels in Sierra Leone in January were freed and turned over Tuesday to a local bishop, the Vatican announced.

52.   The Irish Times of Dublin said the payment was the responsibility of the local bishop.

53.   The local bishop reported the episode, similar to others in the area.

54.   The most controversial rule says any theology teacher must gain endorsement from the local bishop in order to teach at a church-related campus.

55.   The spokesman said the Italian ambassador to Sierra Leone and a local Roman Catholic bishop also were evacuated.

56.   The Vatican referred questions to local bishops.

57.   The Vatican has consistently been cautious about such reports and prefers to leave the handling of such a sighting in the hands of the local bishop.

58.   The Warsaw Mayor and a local bishop joined ING officials in laying the cornerstone for the development Thursday.

59.   Thursday in Nicaragua, a local Catholic bishop, the Rev. Bosco Vivas Robelo, made a public plea for information about communities where aid has not yet arrived.

60.   Traditionally, discipline of clergy has been totally the prerogative of local bishops.