Group plans to run ad during pope visit

A Catholic lay group formed after the priest sex abuse scandal is raising money to run a full-page newspaper ad timed to the pope's US visit. The Voice of the Faithful says it wants to reignite a national dialogue among the laity and clergy by placing the ad in a national newspaper to coincide with Pope Benedict's weeklong visit to New York and Washington. The group says the culture of secrecy in the church that helped lead to the clergy sexual abuse scandal still exists and has created financial scandals in some parishes. The Voice of the Faithful was formed in 2002 in Massachusetts amid outrage over the sex abuse scandal. (AP)

The mother of a New Hampshire truck driver killed in a rollover and explosion in Massachusetts says her son was a safe driver who loved his work. Karen Staelens flew from her home in Georgia to Massachusetts as soon as she heard about Friday's crash, but by the time she arrived at the hospital her son, Aaron Staelens, 43, of Richmond, N.H., had died. His tanker crashed into a guardrail and exploded Friday after a car collided with him. Staelens's mother said she saw TV news reports of the crash and knew immediately that it was her son. Staelens worked for Abenaqui Carriers of North Hampton, N.H. The driver of the car, Victor Aponte, 35, of Holyoke, was issued a summons to face charges including negligent motor vehicle homicide and reckless operation. (AP)

The president and chief executive of the financially troubled estate of author Edith Wharton has resigned. The board of trustees at "The Mount" in Lenox said yesterday that it has accepted the resignation of Stephanie Copeland with regret. Copeland oversaw a turnaround of the estate, which was in a dilapidated state when she took over in 1993. During her tenure, $13 million was invested in buildings and grounds, the number of visitors tripled, and revenues increased sixfold. The group that runs the estate aims to raise $3 million by April 24 to avoid foreclosure. Wharton designed the house in 1902. (AP)

The Currier Museum of Art reopened yesterday after a $21 million makeover. The museum closed a year and a half ago for a renovation and expansion project that includes new galleries, new classrooms, an auditorium, and a winter garden. Admission to the museum, closed tomorrow, is free this week. (AP)

Immigrant advocates and others have slated a news conference today to respond to Governor Donald Carcieri's executive order targeting undocumented immigrants in Rhode Island. Immigrants United, We Can Stop the Hate Rhode Island, and Univocal Legislative Minority Advisory are among groups hosting the 2 p.m. news conference at Algonquin House in Providence. Carcieri signed the order last week requiring State Police and prison officials to identify immigration violators in state custody and report them to federal authorities for possible deportation. The governor says illegal immigrants are costing the cast-strapped state money. Critics of the order say it will hurt poor people. (AP)

Senator John F. Kerry will deliver the keynote commencement speech at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on May 17. The 2004 Democratic presidential nominee told The Berkshire Eagle that his selection was "a great honor." Mary Grant, president of the college, said Kerry was invited because much of the graduating class were starting their college careers while Kerry was running for president. (AP)

Police say a man was shot and an elderly woman is missing after someone broke into a New Britain home yesterday. The break-in occurred between 9 and 10 a.m. at a home on Woodhaven Drive. Police in Watertown recovered a car that had been stolen from the home, and arrested a suspect. Police say they are still looking for the woman who had been at the home. The male victim was sent to Hartford Hospital in serious condition. (AP)