Cuban-American Congressional Leaders Vow To Fight Obama's Proposals

Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approximately 9:00 a.m. ET.

A day after the president's announcement that he wants to normalize relations with Cuba, Cuban-American congressional leaders came together in Miami to condemn it as appeasement of a Communist regime.

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Lebanese Maronite Patriarch seeks more efficiency in church courts

BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai Friday called on church court officials to ensure that cases are being processed quickly, efficiently and without extra cost, citing complaints by the public about red tape, delays and high cost of church transactions.

“You are the clerics and servants of justice, which is at the core of peace within the family and society, and you should rise above material temptations by refusing any gift while carrying out your judicial mission,” Rai told the clerics.

Rai pointed out that in order to speed up case processing, the Maronite church had imposed additional working days on judges in the church’s regular courts and appellate courts.

“We have requested that regular courts operate for five days a week and appellate courts for two days, on a full-time basis,” Rai said.

He said the church decided to put up price lists of court fees for the different services, stressing that lawyers’ fees were totally separate.

The prelate deplored the growing number of divorce cases handled by the church, calling on the court judges to refer troubled couples to marriage counseling centers set up by the church in the various parishes.

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