Democrats censor U.S. Senate Resolution welcoming Pope Benedict XVI

U.S. Democrat Barbara Boxer held up a U.S. Senate resolution welcoming the Pope because she objected to language about how the pope values "each and every human life":

The measure later cleared the Senate Thursday afternoon after the sponsor of the resolution, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), dropped the reference to "human life" because some Democrats saw it as a reference to abortion. According to Republican aides, Brownback, a devout Catholic, did not want a high profile fight over the resolution, which was adopted on a voice vote. In fact, Brownback blackberried his staff from the Pope's mass at Nationals Park to direct them to drop the references to human life.

(Via Jay Anderson @ Catholics in the Public Square, who has a roundup of coverage on this story).