VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- Pope Benedict XVI met privately with U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives, and told her that all Catholics, especially those who are lawmakers, must work to protect human life at every stage.

Pelosi, a Catholic Democrat from California, has been criticized by many Catholics for her support for keeping abortion legal. "His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the church's consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death," the Vatican said in a statement about the Feb. 18 meeting.

Pelosi was making an official visit to Italy to meet members of the U.S. military stationed in the country and to discuss common security concerns with Italian government leaders. Her 15-minute meeting with Pope Benedict took place in a small room in the Vatican audience hall after the pope's weekly general audience.

In a statement released by her staff, Pelosi said, "In our conversation, I had the opportunity to praise the church's leadership in fighting poverty, hunger and global warming, as well as the Holy Father's dedication to religious freedom and his upcoming trip and message to Israel."

Church's investment losses mirror rest of nation, financier says
WASHINGTON (CNS) --- The losses incurred by Catholic institutions in the stock market since last autumn are roughly the same as the hits taken by other investors, according to a financier who estimates he gives investment advice to more U.S. dioceses than any other firm. Losses of about 25 percent in an investment portfolio "would certainly have been in the ballpark" for "Catholic foundations, endowments and pension plans, but also corporate and public endowment plans" across the country, said Steve Schott, a managing principal at CapTrust in Miami, who offered a guarded prognosis for church-based investors in 2009. He acknowledged that nobody had a crystal ball to see that the bottom would drop out of the financial markets at the end of 2008, and repeated a familiar mantra that the outlook "may get worse before it gets better" this year. "We are biased to protect capital, and be defensive," Schott said. His aim is for Catholic institutions, he added, to "make sure there's enough liquidity for operations and expenditures for the next three years, while at the same time we're balancing portfolios to maintain investment exposure."

Vietnamese cardinal, known for leadership during hard times, dies
HANOI, Vietnam (CNS) --- Cardinal Paul Pham Dinh Tung, known for his leadership of Catholics in northern Vietnamese dioceses during difficult times, died at the age of 89. Cardinal Tung died Feb. 22 at the archbishop's residence in Hanoi, a local church source told the Asian church news agency UCA News. The following morning, his coffin was moved from the chapel in the archbishop's residence to nearby St. Joseph Cathedral, UCA News reported. Thousands of Catholics attended a special Mass concelebrated by Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet of Hanoi, Auxiliary Bishop Laurence Chu Van Minh of Hanoi, Bishop Joseph Dang Duc Ngan of Lang Son and priests. Cardinal Tung's funeral Mass is scheduled for Feb. 26 at the cathedral square and he will be buried in the cathedral, the archdiocese announced. Pope Benedict XVI expressed his sadness over the death of Cardinal Tung and said he was united in prayer with the Archdiocese of Hanoi, the bishops of Vietnam, the relatives of the cardinal and all those touched by his death.

Wage theft called a significant problem among U.S. workers
WASHINGTON (CNS) --- Wage theft poses a significant problem to U.S. workers, according to Kim Bobo, executive director of the Chicago-based Interfaith Worker Justice organization and author of a new book called "Wage Theft." Wage theft robs workers of pay they deservedly earned, but also robs government of about $18 billion a year in tax revenues, including payroll, income, unemployment, workers' compensation and Social Security taxes, Bobo said in her book. Bobo spoke Feb. 21 at a luncheon sponsored by the Catholic Labor Network, a participant in the Feb. 22-25 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington. She outlined several instances of wage theft uncovered recently. In one of them, a Vietnamese restaurant chain in New York City was found to have paid its workers, on average, $540 a month. "That's less than $2 an hour," Bobo said. That was before their bosses levied $20 fines against them for such infractions as typing too slowly or slamming a door too loudly. "There are 2 to 3 million workers who are not legally paid the minimum wage," currently $6.55 an hour, according to Bobo.

Pope says role of pope is one of authority, service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- Pope Benedict XVI said the papacy is a role of authority and service in the church, and he asked for the prayers of Catholics so that he can accomplish the tasks entrusted to him. The pope made the remarks to pilgrims at his Sunday blessing at the Vatican Feb. 22, the feast of the Chair of St. Peter. He said the chair of St. Peter "symbolizes the authority of the bishop of Rome, who is called to carry out a special service for the whole people of God." He said the unique ministry of the pope was confirmed by the Second Vatican Council, which spoke of papal primacy as presiding over particular churches in a universal communion of charity. Part of the pope's role is to protect legitimate differences while assuring that such differences do not hinder unity, he said. Pope Benedict, noting the approach of Lent, also spoke of the need for penitence. He said the Gospel reading about the paralytic cured by Jesus showed that Christ had the power to forgive sins as well as effect physical healing.