Portal:Current events/2002 December 13
December 13, 2002 (Friday)
- The Vatican announces that Pope John Paul II has accepted the resignation of Boston's Cardinal Bernard Francis Law due to widespread outcry among Boston Catholics over Law's role in covering up pedophilia-related and other sex crimes among priests in his diocese.
- US Senate majority leader Trent Lott apologizes on television amid growing outcry for his resignation from both ends of the political spectrum for comments made at Senator Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party which seemed to support Thurmond's 1948 segregationist presidential campaign platform.
- The Geminid meteor shower peaks tonight. Best viewing is between midnight and dawn.
- Henry Kissinger stepped down as the chairman of a panel investigating the September 11 attacks, citing conflict of interest with his clients. The choice of Kissinger by President George W. Bush.
- The European Union invited Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Cyprus and Malta to join. Expansion is scheduled for May 2004.
- Star Trek: Nemesis was released in North America.