Premier to make way for Prodi

Premier Silvio Berlusconi indicated Saturday he would resign this week, clearing the way for a government led by center-left leader Romano Prodi, who won Italian elections this month.

Berlusconi’s comment came hours after Prodi scored his first parliamentary victory: Both of his candidates were elected speakers in the two houses of parliament after a tough battle.

“I am very very happy,” Prodi was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency. “We have settled in.”

Lima, Peru

Ambassador to leave Venezuela

Peru recalled its ambassador from Venezuela on Saturday over what it called President Hugo Chavez’s “persistent and flagrant interference” in its upcoming presidential elections.

Chavez has characterized one of Peru’s presidential candidates as a thief and repeatedly endorsed a nationalist candidate.

Beijing

Vatican wary of new bishop

China’s state-sanctioned Roman Catholic Church will install a new bishop opposed by the Vatican today, potentially damaging efforts to restore official ties between the sides, a Vatican-linked news agency reported.

Hong Kong’s Catholic diocese, which is under Vatican jurisdiction, protested the planned ordainment Saturday.

The Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association will ordain Ma Yinglin as bishop of the city of Kunming in southwestern Yunnan province, Rome-based AsiaNews said Friday.

AsiaNews said the Vatican opposes Ma because he is too close to the official Chinese church’s leaders and has little pastoral experience.