Briefs: Ambassador to the Holy See, "Ten Popes Who Shook the World," Benedict's U.S. trip, Converting Anglicans, Unfortunate Headline of

A Saturday night special:

• President Bush is rumored to be close to appointing Mary Ann Glendon as the next U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. Glendon, a professor at Harvard Law School, was the first woman appointed President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and previously served as Bush's appointee to the Presidential Council on Bioethics. She was also rumored to be among those in the running for Sandra Day O'Connor's seat on the U.S. Supreme Court after her retirement, an appointment that went instead to fellow Catholic Samuel Alito, Jr. | Photo: Boston Herald
  
  
• Speaking of popes and their appointees, BBC Radio has posted a series of 15-minute audio clips by Cambridge professor Eamon Duffy entitled, "Ten Popes Who Shook the World." Duffy is a member of the Pontifical Academy of History (which sadly has no website). | via Amy Welborn
  
  
• Speaking of popes who shook travel the world: Rocco Palmo reports that the latest (and still pliable) itinerary for Benedict XVI's planned trip to the U.S. next April will likely omit Boston altogether and schedule Masses at Yankee Stadium and the National's as-yet-unfinished new field in D.C.
  
  
• From the Anglican Desk: Three former Anglican congregations have asked to be received into the Roman Catholic Church, a Catholic newspaper has reported. The ex-Church of Ireland communities in Down, Tyrone and Laois, were part of the 'traditional rite', which separated when the Anglican church voted to ordain women. This comes just weeks after the wife of a Church of Ireland bishop converted to Catholicism as well.
  
  
• And finally... the Unfortunate (Catholic Sports-Related) Headline of the Week: "Baylor Outguns Pope John Paul II 28-20" from the Chattanoogan.