i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us. amid continued violence and unrest in north africa and the middle east, president obama announced this week the united states will fully support countries seeking reform. during a speech at the state department, the president promised to aid new democracies, and he said the u.s. will oppose any leaders or groups who restrict rights, including religious freedom. >> in a region that was the birthplace of three world religions, intolerance can lead only to suffering and stagnation. >> the president also addressed the stalled middle east peace process. >> a lasting peace will involve two states for two peoples. israel as a jewish state and the homeland for the jewish people, and the state of palestine as the homeland for the palestinian people. >> negotiations, said the president, should be based on the 1967 borders. >>> in other news, a highly anticipated report on the causes of the clergy sex abuse crisis in the u.s. roman catholic church was released this

i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us. president obama made a major push this week for reform of the nation's immigration laws. on thursday, he addressed the national hispanic prayer breakfast in washington. the president called comprehensive reform a moral imperative and urged pastors to mobilize their church members around the issue. >> at critical junctures throughout our history, it's often been men and women of faith who've helped to move this country forward. it was in our episcopal churches of boston that our earliest patriots planned our revolution. it was in the baptist churches of montgomery and selma that t civil rights movement was born. and it's in the catholic and evangelical and mainline churches of our southwest and across our entire continent that a new movement for immigration reform is taking shape today. >> earlier in the week, the president delivered a speech on immigration in el paso, texas, where he emphasized his administration's efforts to secure the border. he asked

i'm bob abernethy. happy mother's day. there's much more on our website, including commentary about some of the moral issues surrounding osama bin laden's death and more poems by brother paul quenon. you can comment on all of our stories and share them. audio and video podcasts are so available. you can follow us on facebook and twitter, find us on youtube, and watch us anytime, anywhere on smartphones and iphones with our mobile web app. join us at pbs.org. as we leave you, scenes from last weekend's beatification ceremony for pope john paul ii. ♪ >>> major funding for "religion and ethics newsweekly" is provided by the lilly endowment, an indianapolis-based private family foundation dedicated to its founders' interest in religion, community development, and education. additional funding by mutual of america, designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. and the corporation for public broadcasting.

i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us. hundreds of thousands gathered for celebrations in rome this weekend as pope john paul ii moves to the final stage before being proclaimed a saint. john paul's beatification comes just six years after his death. it's the fastest on record. the roman catholic church has a complicated and usually very lengthy process for recognizing sainthood. kim lawton has our special report. >> reporter: saints have been part of the roman catholic church for centuries, as heroes, patrons, intercessors and spiritual companions. but the path to sainthood is never an easy one. >> the lives of the saints show us that, you know, god makes holiness out of all sorts of different materials. >> reporter: many religious traditions honor people who are considered especially holy. but the catholic church has a uniquely complex system for declaring someone a saint. it's a multistep canonization process that has evolved since the 13th century. father james martin is author of the boo

i'm bob abernethy. you can follow us on facebook and twitter, find us on youtube, and watch us anytime anywhere on smartphones and iphones. there's also much more on our websi website. you can comment on all of our stories and share them. audio and video podcasts are also available. join us at pbs.org. >>> as we leave you on the eve of memorial day, scenes from arlington national cemetery in virginia. >>> major funding for "religion and ethics newsweekly" is provided by the lilly endowment, an indianapolis based private family foundation dedicated to its founders' interest in religion, community development, and education. additional funding by mutual of america, designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. and the corporation for public broadcasting.