51.   Some Vatican officials have opposed tough measures against priests, particularly on reporting accusations to the authorities.

52.   Still, Vatican officials say he is lucid and able to work, and still plans a grueling schedule of foreign trips beginning in May.

53.   That allows many Vatican officials to view the widening scandal as a witch hunt and to blame it on the American news media and greedy liability lawyers.

54.   The ailing pope is now incapable of forcefully taking on such a volatile issue, said several Vatican officials.

55.   The awkward timing of the canonizations, however, was more likely a blunder by Vatican officials than an intentional provocation.

56.   The cancellation of the trips to Sarajevo and New York have been a personal disappointment for the pope, Vatican officials said.

57.   The decision came immediately after the pope and other top Vatican officials met here last week with leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

58.   The Italian cardinals most often mentioned as papabile span a few top Vatican officials, including Sodano, and also some of the better known Italian archbishops.

59.   The meetings will take place early next week, possibly on Tuesday and Wednesday, a Vatican official said.

60.   The most recent killing of a Vatican official took place outside its walls, but was just as shocking.