Not being or every having been Catholic, I found this surprising.

The Legionaries of Christ, a hitherto dynamic conservative order of 800 priests and 70,000 lay affiliates, is on the verge of falling apart following reports that its founder, the late Fr Marcial Maciel, fathered at least one child at a time when he was demanding the strictest moral standards from his cult following.

Maciel, a Mexican priest who died a year ago aged 87, was lavishly praised by Pope John Paul II but sent into exile by Pope Benedict XVI as punishment for sexual assaults against young men decades ago. It was widely thought that he wasn't a ladies' man. So you can imagine the shock when it was revealed this week that, in old age, he secretly fathered a daughter.

This new scandal is tearing apart the Legionaries, conservative priests known for their extreme preachiness and natty dress. And their lay affiliate organisation, Regnum Christi, is also on the verge of collapse. It's becoming clear not only that Maciel was a liar of the first order, but so that his lieutenants covered up many details of his life while demanding that he be treated as a living saint.

Discovering that a priest engages in sexual depredations has been par for the course for generations, like Democrat officials with mistresses and unpaid taxes.

I rarely take a shot that makes me gawp and when I do it's usually of my children. I took this snap as I was changing trains today. When I saw it on my big screen I turned the lights off and played Spem In Alium.

Some thoughts about the best railway station in the world here.

A gallery of shots in both dull and dramatic light here.

I think its safe to say that this isn't going to help Islam's image problem.

Orchard Park police are investigating a particularly gruesome killing, the beheading of a woman, after her husband — an influential member of the local Muslim community — reported her death to police Thursday.

Police identified the victim as Aasiya Z. Hassan, 37. Detectives have charged her husband, Muzzammil Hassan, 44, with second-degree murder.

"He came to the police station at 6:20 p.m. [Thursday] and told us that she was dead," Orchard Park Police Chief Andrew Benz said late this morning.

Muzzammil Hassan told police that his wife was at his business, Bridges TV, on Thorn Avenue in the village. Officers went to that location and discovered her body.

Muzzammil Hassan is the founder and chief executive officer of Bridges TV, which he launched in 2004, amid hopes that it would help portray Muslims in a more positive light.

The killing apparently occurred some time late Thursday afternoon. Detectives still are looking for the murder weapon.

"Obviously, this is the worst form of domestic violence possible," Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III said today.

Authorities say Aasiya Hassan recently had filed for divorce from her husband.

Not soon enough apparently.