Scientific, legal and theological experts will address issues related to life before birth at a national conference sponsored by the Catholic Medical Association and Curatio to be held at the St. Paul Hotel, Saturday, May 8, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The conference is designed for physicians, nurses, lawyers, hospital administrators, clergy, and others who feel challenged by conflict concerning life’s beginnings, and the technologies and attitudes that disparage life before birth. Keynote speaker is Deal Hudson, publisher of Crisis Magazine. An opening reception will be held Friday, May 7 at 6:00 p.m. Register at www.cathmedmn.org or call (651) 224-3322. For more information call (763) 786-4945.

Through a service called "The Pope’s Thought of the Day," an Italian firm is making the Holy Father’s message available to cell phone users in the United States.

The service is available to Cingular, Verizon, and AT&T Wireless customers, and is to be made available to other wireless services in the near future. In all, the estimated 105 million cell phones that have text-messaging technology, or about 70 percent of all United States cell phones currently in use, will eventually be able to access the service.

The Pope’s Thought of the Day" is selected by the Vatican press office and the messages are culled from his speeches, homilies, and writings. The messages are available at noon Eastern time each day with a small fee charged for each message.