The Tampa Bay Times published a three-part series on the Church of Scientology in June 2009. Read the first installment, published June 21, 2009.

Scientology volunteer minister centers in specific regions can be located and contacted through this website.

Church locations worldwide, their contact information and links to their websites can be found on this map.

A Sept. 20, 2004, article in the Deseret News reported that the church claimed to have 4 million adherents in the U.S. and 8 million to 9 million worldwide.

Read a June 29, 2009, report on the pope’s comments about the encyclical, “In preview of new encyclical, Benedict reprises ‘dictatorship of relativism’ speech,” by National Catholic Reporter columnist John L. Allen Jr.

Read a June 29, 2009, article at the First Things Web site, “Economic Heresies of the Left,” by Michael Novak. Novak is considered a conservative Catholic writer who defends capitalism in this essay and elsewhere against interpretations of papal teachings that some say criticize the capitalist system.

Read a July 1, 2009, Religion News Service article, “Groundbreaking economic encyclical on the way,” by Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokesperson for the USCCB. It’s posted at the USCCB media blog site.

The media blog at the Web site of the United States Conference of Catholic bishops has a “Social Encyclical Primer” that sets out the history of papal encyclicals on social justice themes.

Read commentary at InsideCatholic by Deal Hudson from July 20, 2009, who has consulted on Catholic issues for Republican officials.