RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- The rainy spring and early summer has stalled the cutting of hay and prevented tobacco plants from setting deep roots in Virginia.

But cooperative extension agents say the wet weather hasn't been all bad. Extension crop and soil sciences agent Stephen Barts says the rain has been good for soybean and corn crops.

On the negative side, wheat cutting was lagging because rain and high humidity. The combination is bad for harvesting the grain.

The longer wheat remains in the field, grain's quality declines.

Jeter, 39, injured the leg muscle while unsuccessfully trying to beat out a grounder in the fifth inning of Thursday's 8-4 win against the Royals.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Jeter would skip the weekend series against the visiting Minnesota Twins and then be reevaluated after the four-day All-Star break before the schedule resumes on Friday.

"We're going to play it safe for the weekend and see what happens after that," said Cashman. "It could resolve after that time frame, it could take more time. I can't rule out ultimately a disabled list."

Cashman said the Yankees had been poised to bring Jeter up to the Bronx on Friday, but decided to activate him for Thursday's game as designated hitter after minor injuries to DH Travis Hafner and outfielder Brett Gardner in Wednesday's game.

"It was my call to move him up, based on what occurred in our game," Cashman told reporters before Friday's game against the Twins.

"I thought it was a safe harbor because it was a DH situation and all the reports were he was running extremely well and responding well.

"But obviously the intensity at Yankee Stadium and the major league environment is obviously more, and stuff can happen."

Jeter was playing his first game of the season after fracturing his ankle in last October's American League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers and then breaking the ankle angle during spring training.

Cashman said he did not think he was putting Jeter at much risk by bringing him up early to serve as designated hitter.

"It's not something that entered my mind in any way that he could actually blow a tire in running the bases," he said. "He could do it down there as well as up here.

"Stuff happens, and it did."

(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York,; Editing by Frank Pingue)

The findings indicate that as the ancestors to modernevolved, anatomical changes significantly lagged behind habitat and behavioral adaptations, said Adrian Lister, a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum in London, England.

"It only makes sense that behavior is a powerful driver of evolution, and that by taking the behavioral step to eat grass, it imposes the selection pressure for the right kind of teeth," Lister told LiveScience. "The idea has been around for around 100 years, but there have been few demonstrated examples. This is the first example from the fossil record."

About 10 million years ago, during a time period known as the Miocene epoch, the east African climate became dryer and cooler, prompting the gradual spread of grasslands over areas that were once heavily forested. []

"What we find with a lot of mammal groups is that some species switched their diets," Lister said. "During this time, the earliest true elephants went from what we describe as 'browsers,' which eat mostly leaves from trees and shrubs, to what we call 'grazers,' which mostly eat grass."

Lister used data that looked for specificof ancient elephants in east Africa. As animals' teeth grow and form, chemical traces of food and water become locked into the enamel, which enable paleontologists to determine the diets of extinct animals.

By studying these fossilized teeth, Lister noticed that the change in feeding behavior occurred about 7 million years ago, which is about 3 million years before corresponding anatomical changes evident in the structure and shape of the teeth can be found in the fossil record.

Since grass is tougher to eat than leafy greens,tend to have higher-crowned teeth with more enamel ridges, Lister said. This is because grazers tend to pick up more grit from the soil, which can wear teeth down

"We don't see this change in crown height until about 4 million years ago, so there's a lag of several million years," Lister said. "Even with the wrong teeth for it, by starting to eat grass as food, these animals were imposing a lot of selective pressure. But, it required the behavioral change first."

While Lister is still unsure why the gap between the behavioral and anatomical changes is so great, he hopes future studies will be able to unearth more clues.

"The reason for the lag is not completely and satisfactorily explained," Lister said. "What I was hoping to do with this paper is show the kind of data that we can put together to answer these types of questions. We can see whether behaviors drive the , which, in my opinion, has been sidelined in evolutionary biology. Now, because we have the means to look at it directly in the fossil record, we can try looking for it."

Detailed results of the study were published online today (June 26) in the journal Nature.

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SANFORD, Fla. (AP) -- Trayvon Martin's fatal shooting garnered worldwide attention when the man who fatally shot him wasn't arrested for weeks a backlash fueled largely by social media. Now, social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook have permeated George Zimmerman's trial both inside and outside the courtroom.

A witness who testified via Skype was inundated with calls from other users on the Internet-based phone service, and a defense attorney was tripped up by a photo his daughter posted on Instagram. Jurors and witnesses have been grilled about their postings and whom they follow.

Social media has become inextricably tied to daily life, a fact reflected by its presence in Zimmerman's murder trial. The trial is a top trend almost daily, with thousands of people tweeting their thoughts with the hashtag #ZimmermanTrial. Witnesses have tweeted about their testimony, including Martin's friend Rachel Jeantel, who after tense questioning became the brunt of spoof accounts poking fun at her candid statements and dialect.

It's not the first time social media has become the backbone of a high-profile criminal case: Casey Anthony's trial on charges she murdered her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, was closely watched, too. Photos posted on social media accounts showing Anthony's partying in the days after her daughter's disappearance became a key point in the case.

Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch volunteer, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and says he shot the unarmed 17-year-old Martin in self-defense during a scuffle in the townhome complex where he lived and Martin was visiting his father and his father's fiancee.

Among the first to publicize the story was nationally syndicated radio host Michael Baisden, who sent a message to his 65,000 Twitter followers and 585,000 Facebook fans: "Unarmed 17-year-old boy shot by neighborhood watch captain in Sanford, FL outside of Orlando." It provided a link to a story. Soon afterward, Martin's parents started an online petition on Change.org demanding Zimmerman's arrest. It generated more than 2.2 million signatures.

The trial began with attorneys scouring potential jurors' profiles, using Facebook postings to keep two off the jury. Witnesses haven't been immune, either, a fact Zimmerman's lead defense attorney recently acknowledged.

"So it's been an amazing sort of umbrella in this case, the whole sort of social media presence, and what it means both in investigation, to interaction, to now having to react to it as lawyer," attorney Mark O'Mara recently told reporters.

Zimmerman's team was no stranger to social media before the trial began, using Twitter and a website to raise money for his defense and make public statements. Still, experts say the legal profession is still catching up to technology so easily accessed on smartphones.

"The law is always a little bit behind, or sometimes a lot behind, the rest of the culture, so the law is still trying to figure out whether or not we should be treating social media as a given," said Mary Anne Franks, a law professor at the University of Miami Law School. "It's really unsettled right now. But the impulse seems to be, yes, look at everything you can because the more information, the better."

Those involved in the Zimmerman case appear to have been tripped up by social media on at least two occasions.

While questioning Jenna Lauer, a former neighbor of Zimmerman who testified she heard screams for help outside her townhome, prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda accused her of following Zimmerman's brother on Twitter. After taking a look at a Twitter page de la Rionda had pulled up on a computer, Lauer denied it, and it was clear from his questions that the prosecutor didn't understand quite how Twitter worked.

"I apologize," de la Rionda said.

On the defense side, an Instagram photo posted by attorney Don West's daughter became the subject of a prosecution motion for an inquiry. Prosecutors said the photo showing West eating ice cream with his daughters was posted after West's tense cross-examination with prosecution witness Rachel Jeantel last week. The caption read, "We beat stupidity celebration cones" and "dadkilledit." West said in a court filing Tuesday that the photo was taken a day before Jeantel testified and has nothing to do with her testimony. He called the prosecution's motion irresponsible and said he had nothing to do with the posting of the photo or its caption.

Lawyers in routine cases typically don't have time to scour the social media sites of potential jurors, though it has become more commonplace in highly publicized cases. It has become more common practice to vet the accounts of witnesses, as their posts may expose particular biases, motives or contradictions in their testimony, said David Hill, an Orlando criminal defense attorney.

"Like it or not, when it comes to Facebook and social media, it may not just be Big Brother watching you, but your friendly neighborhood criminal defense attorney," he said.

___

Associated Press writer Kyle Hightower in Sanford and Tony Winton in Miami contributed to this report.

___

Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP

No official update was made Tuesday morning on the status of the ailing 94-year-old, who was admitted June 8 to the hospital for a recurring lung infection. Court documents say he is breathing with the help of a respirator.

Well-wishers from around the world continue to stop outside his Johannesburg home and the Pretoria hospital where he is being treated.

Mandela spent 27 years in prison during white rule and was released in 1990. He led the shift from apartheid to democracy and became South Africa's first democratically elected president in 1994.

[More from BGR: ]

This article was

The new strategy, which was revealed before an audience at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., identifies three key objectives: cut the amount of , prepare the country for the effects of a warming planet and lead global efforts to combat climate change.

The measures "should send a strong signal to the world that America intends to take bold action to reduce carbon pollution," Obama said in his address. []

LiveScience asked several experts, analysts and industry members about their thoughts on the . Here are their responses and official statements:

Christine McEntee, executive director and CEO of the American Geophysical Union

"We are pleased to see that President Obamas commitment to addressing the growing impacts of climate change is coming to fruition. When it comes to climate change, its causes and its impacts, the science is clear and the scientific community is in agreement. We cannot continue to delay action. The costs are too high.

Addressing this critical challenge requires a global commitment from all stakeholders, including the business community, the energy industry, and national, regional, and local governments, and a willingness to embrace both mitigation and adaptation strategies. Difficult decisions will have to be made at all levels. However, we know that those decisions have the potential to open up new avenues for economic growth and developmentboth now and in the future.

The scientific community, including AGU and its members, are committed to providing the scientific facts that will enable well informed decision-making for addressing the growing challenge of . We look forward to working with all stakeholders to begin building a foundation for a more sustainable future."

Bill Snape, senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity

"Were happy to see the president finally addressing climate change, but the plain truth is that what hes proposing isn't big enough, and doesnt move fast enough, to match the terrifying magnitude of the climate crisis. []

The president, like all of us, needs to be able to look across the dinner table at his children and know hes doing all he can to ensure they inherit a planet thats healthy and livable. This plan is a small step in the right direction, but certainly begs for something bigger and bolder."

Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member

"The president is absolutely right to act now. We have a moral imperative to protect the environment for our children and future generations. We are at a crossroads. Every year we delay, the impacts will worsen and the costs will rise. But if we act now, we can lead the world in developing theof the future."

Lou Leonard, U.S. Vice President for Climate Change at the World Wildlife Fund

"Recognizing that the U.S. needs to meet its international commitments and strongly support robust international action is also crucial as the world works to forge a new global climate pact by 2015.

What we need next is a strategy that identifies our destination and how fast we will move to get there. We have the technology and the business case to meet science-based climate goals by the end of this decade, get off dirty fuels and move to 100 percent renewable energy today.As President Obama fills in the details of his plan, the best science should serve as his compass if we are to find the way to safer shores." []

Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association

"This is a watershed moment in our nations history. Today, climate change is a real and growing threat to America and the rest of the world. Its indisputable. Climate change threatens our economy, our future progress, our health and safety and even our way of life. Every day, the Earth suffers a little more from human neglect. We cant wish this problem away, and pointing fingers wont solve it, either.

This is our moment in time. Americasstands ready to do our part to help fight climate change and usher in a new era of clean energy in America and around the world. Despite what some critics say, this isnt a choice between clean energy and a robust economy. We can have both, and solar is showing how to make that possible."

Mark Tercek, president and CEO of the Nature Conservancy

"There are simply some effects of climate change that, sadly, we are already seeing today, such as sea level rise and more severe and erratic weather patterns that result in increased storms, heat waves, floods and droughts. We need to adapt to make our farms, forests and coasts more resilient. Whenever and wherever possible, we shouldsuch as the protection of natural floodplains, healthy forests and the restoration of coastal features like oyster reefs, marshes, sand dunes and wetlands that help reduce risks by acting as buffers to waves and higher tides. These natural defenses are often more durable and cost-effective than traditional infrastructure, and is a smart investment that will save government money in the long run.

We recommend some important next steps in the challenge to deal with climate change, such as putting a price on carbon;and keeping the carbon they store out of the atmosphere by reducing deforestation; investing in research and development that can lead to discoveries applicable in other countries like China and India; and coping with the impacts of climate change by promoting the use of natural defenses."

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.)

"Science tells us that climate change is real and it is among the biggest global threats facing us today. It is not only an environmental issue it is a public health issue, an economic issue, a national security issue. I applaud President Obamas decisive action on this critical challenge.

Clean air is good for the economy, as we have seen in Maryland, where our strong clean air rules have resulted in job creation and economic growth. Investing inand energy efficiency will not only result in cleaner, healthier communities, it will also create jobs and a more resilient economy. We know the results of inaction: deadlier storms, rising sea levels, and crippling droughts and wildfires, with taxpayers shouldering the skyrocketing costs of disaster recovery. As a nation, we must act now to avert the worst effects of climate change."

David Yarnold, president and CEO of the National Audubon Society

"It's high time for bold action on climate pollution. In fact, we're making up for lost time. The good news is this isn't a blue, red or purple state issue. It's a core value, particularly for young people, and it's a promise to our kids and their future. If we take advantage of this moment, it's a chance for America to come out of the climate closet and to lead the way America is supposed to do. Whether you're talking about birds,or people, this is the most significant threat we all face, and addressing it is the most important thing we can do."

Ned Helme, president of the Center for Clean Air Policy

"Targeting greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants is a game changer that shows the United States is serious about addressing climate change. But it is important that EPA be flexible about how utilities can comply. Combined heat and power technologies that produce electricity along with useful heat are promising and should be encouraged by the regulations. Another hopeful direction is increased reliance on abundant . By recommending a flexible approach, EPA's rules can reduce carbon pollution cost effectively and produce jobs that revitalize America's manufacturing sector. In fact, states in the industrial Midwest stand to benefit greatly despite what critics are saying. President Obama's announcement should be seized upon by the states as an opportunity to increase economic growth, not stifle it."

Bob Irvin, president of American Rivers

"Fighting climate change is not only our moral responsibility to our children and grandchildren, it is an opportunity to harness our countrys unique strengths to create a stronger economy, healthier environment, and a better world. President Obama is taking action because Congress has failed to do so. We applaud President Obama for his leadership on climate change and for outlining a bold vision to put our country on a better path to the future.

The presidents commitment to cut carbon pollution, help communities deal with the increasingly apparent , and to position America as the global leader in clean energy technology will have a positive impact on Americas rivers and the people who depend upon them. All of us at American Rivers look forward to working with the Obama Administration to implement the presidents vision outlined today."

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)

"For too long, the barricade of special interests in Washington has stopped Congress from acting against carbon pollution. President Obama knows that we cant wait to address this issue. Were already . Our oceans are warmer, more acidic, and rising; our seasons are shifting; and the dice are loaded for more frequent and more severe extreme weather events. I applaud President Obama for taking action today to protect the planet for future generations."

Alden Meyer, strategy and policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists

"President Obama has a little more than three years to cement a lasting legacy on climate change, and he'll need every last second. Americans are already dealing with worse droughts, wildfires and , and the practical realities of climate change are forcing political leaders to make this a priority.

The president is absolutely right to emphasize preparedness. Mayors and governors are becoming climate change first responders and they need all the help they can get. The federal government needs to more effectively deliver the scientific information and planning support that communities need to cope with a changing climate.Of course, we need to do more than help our communities prepare for climate change. We need to address its cause."

Follow Denise Chow on Twitter . Follow LiveScience , & . Original article on.

KIBBUTZ EINAT, Israel (Reuters) - Billionaire Marc Rich, the pioneering oil trader who was also a fugitive from U.S. justice for tax evasion, racketeering and busting sanctions with Iran, was laid to rest in a quiet funeral outside Tel Aviv on Thursday.

About 100 people, mostly family and old business associates, attended the Jewish religious funeral in the pastoral grounds of Kibbutz Einat, where those who spoke described Rich as loving, kind and generous and not as his public image might suggest.

He was buried next to his daughter, Gabrielle, who died of leukemia in 1996 at the age of 27.

The rabbi of Jerusalem's Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinovitch, led a prayer at the ceremony.

Avner Azulay, managing director of the Marc Rich Foundation, said few people really knew Rich. "You did in this world more good than people know," he eulogized.

Belgian-born Rich fled the Holocaust with his parents for America to become the most successful and controversial trader of his time and a fugitive from U.S. justice. He died on Wednesday in Switzerland aged 78 of a stroke.

His trading group Marc Rich and Co AG in Switzerland eventually became the global commodities powerhouse Glencore Xstrata.

Absent from the funeral were the elite of Israel's business world and leading politicians such as former Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Shimon Peres, who lobbied U.S. President Bill Clinton on Rich's behalf for his pardon.

A son of Peres did attend the funeral, as did Glencore Xstrata chief executive Ivan Glasenberg and the daughter of former partner Pincus "Pinky" Green.

In interviews with journalist Daniel Ammann for his biography, "The King of Oil," the normally secretive Rich admitted to assisting the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad.

Interviewed in the book, Rich was asked about that assistance. He replied: "First of all, I'm Jewish. Second, Israel is a country I'm involved with. I'm a citizen. It's a natural thing for me to help Israel."

Ammann told Reuters he believed the low point of Rich's life was when his daughter Gabrielle died. According to Azulay, he would visit her grave every time he came to Israel and sit in silence with tears in his eyes.

But in his business dealings, Ammann believed Rich had few regrets.

"He had no remorse at all," Ammann said. "I asked him openly if he had any remorse about trading with apartheid South Africa, but he always said he was not a politician but a trader."

Rich fled to Switzerland in 1983 to escape charges that included exploiting the U.S. embargo against Iran, while it was holding U.S. hostages, to make huge profits on illicit Iranian oil sales. He always insisted he did nothing illegal.

"So many were misinformed and misguided by the media image constantly distorting and demonizing, including in his last days," Azulay said.

He remained under threat of a life sentence in a U.S. jail until Clinton pardoned him during the last chaotic hours of his presidency, a move that provoked moral outrage and bewilderment among some politicians. He never returned to the United States.

Rich's ex-wife, Denise, had donated funds to Clinton's presidential library.

The former president later said the donation was not a factor in his decision and he had acted partly in response to a request from Israel. He regretted granting the pardon, calling it "terrible politics."

"May you rest in peace now with Gabrielle and with (your parents) Paula and David," Denise said. "Thank you so much for all your generosity and for all the lives you touched and you helped because of your philanthropy."

(additional reporting by David Sheppard in New York; Writing by Tova Cohen; editing by Mike Collett-White)

It was a remarkable show of papal authority and confirmed Francis' willingness to bend church tradition when it comes to things he cares deeply about. Both popes are also closely identified with the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that brought the Catholic Church into modern times, an indication that Francis clearly wants to make a statement about the council's role in shaping the church today.

Francis approved a decree that a Costa Rican woman's inexplicable cure from a deadly brain aneurism was the "miracle" needed to canonize John Paul. More significantly, he decided that John XXIII, who convened Vatican II, could be declared a saint even without a second miracle attributed to his intercession. The Vatican said Francis had the power to dispense with such requirements and could proceed with only one confirmed miracle to John's name.

The ceremony is expected before the end of the year. The date of Dec. 8 has been floated as likely, given it's the feast of the Immaculate Conception, a major feast day for the church that honors Mary, to whom both saintly popes were particularly devoted. Polish prelates continue to press for October, to mark the 35th anniversary of the Polish-born John Paul's election, but Vatican officials have suggested that's too soon to organize such a massive event.

The announcement came on a remarkable day melding papacies past and present: It opened with Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI attending their first Vatican ceremony together, sitting side-by-side on matching papal chairs for the unveiling of a statue in the Vatican gardens. It continued with the publication of Francis' first encyclical, a meditation on faith that was largely written by Benedict before he retired but was signed by Francis. And it climaxed with Francis' decision to canonize two other predecessors.

Each event, historic on its own, would have captured headlines. But the canonization announcement capped them all, reflecting the priorities of this unique pontificate that has already broken so many rules and traditions, from Francis' decision to shun papal vestments to his housing arrangements, living in the Vatican hotel rather than the stuffy Apostolic Palace.

The Rev. Thomas Reese, a Vatican analyst, said the decision to canonize both popes was a "brilliant move to unify the church," given that each pope has his own admirers and critics.

"With the joint announcement, Pope Francis is saying we do not have to choose between popes, we can honor and revere both as holy men who served the church well in their times," he wrote on his blog for the National Catholic Reporter newspaper.

Vatican II, which John XXIII opened a year before his 1963 death, opened the church to people of other faiths and allowed for Mass to be celebrated in the languages of the faithful, rather than Latin. In the years since it closed in 1965, though, it has become a source of division in the church, with critics blaming a faulty interpretation of Vatican II's true meaning on the fall in priestly vocations and the "crisis" in the church today.

To anyone who has been paying attention, Francis' decision to canonize John Paul and John XXIII should come as no surprise: The Jesuit was made a cardinal by John Paul, who attended Vatican II, and is very much a priest of John's legacy.

On the anniversary of John Paul's death this year, Francis prayed at the tombs of both John Paul and John XXIII an indication that he sees a great personal and spiritual continuity in them.

"Two different popes, very important to the church, will be announced saint together - it's a beautiful gesture," said the Rev. Jozef Kloch, spokesman for Poland's Catholic bishops, who like most Poles was overjoyed by the news of John Paul's impending canonization but impatient to know the date.

Francis will set the date at an upcoming meeting of cardinals.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, confirmed that the miracle that brought John Paul to the ranks of saints concerned a Costa Rican woman, Floribeth Mora, who on Friday broke months of silence to tell her story in public, surrounded by her family, doctors and church officials at a news conference in the archbishop's residence in San Jose, Costa Rica.

A tearful Mora described how she awoke at her home in Dulce Nombre de Tres Rios, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the capital, on April 8, 2011 with a debilitating headache that sent her to the hospital. She was diagnosed with having suffered a cerebral aneurism in the right side of her brain.

Doctors decided they couldn't operate because the area was inaccessible.

"With an open operation or an endovascular intervention, the risk to Floribeth would have been to die or be left with a significant neurological deficit," her doctor, Dr. Alejandro Vargas, told reporters.

She was sent home with painkillers.

"I returned home with the fear that I was going to die," Mora said.

Nevertheless, a few days later, she insisted on participating in a religious procession during which she said she received a sign that she would be healed. The family decided to build a shrine to John Paul outside their home: a colorful altar with a photo of the late pope next to a statue of the Madonna and surrounded by flowers, candles and Christmas lights.

On the day John Paul was beatified, May 1, 2011, Mora said she insisted on watching the Mass, which drew some 1.5 million people to St. Peter's Square and the streets around it.

"I contemplated the photo of the Holy Father with his arms extended and I fixed my eyes on him," she said. "In this moment, I heard a voice tell me 'get up, don't be afraid,' and I could only say 'Yes, I'm going to get up.'"

She said her family was shocked to see her get out of bed. "I was afraid to tell my husband, because he was going to think I was crazy or on drugs. But I got up from bed, and I am here before you, healthy," she said.

Medical tests confirmed that the aneurism had disappeared, Vargas said. "It's the first time I've seen anything like it," he said, showing the before and after images of the hemorrhage.

John Paul, who was pope from 1978-2005, revolutionized the papacy, traveling the world and inspiring a generation of young Catholics to be excited about their faith. He was the first Polish pope and the first non-Italian in 455 years a legacy that continued with the German-born Benedict XVI and Argentine Francis.

John XXIII, dubbed the "good pope" for his affable nature, is best known for having convened Vatican II, sensing that the time was ripe for a renewal of the church. But he has fallen from favor among conservatives who blame Vatican II for the church's problems today.

Benedict spent much of his pontificate trying to correct what he considered wrong interpretations of Vatican II, insisting it wasn't the break from the past that liberals believed.

While not disagreeing outright with Benedict, Francis seems to take a more progressive read of Vatican II and its call to go out into the world and spread the faith a priority he has shown in the first months of his pontificate.

The two living popes, however, clearly get along.

"Your holiness, good day and thank you!" Francis beamed on Friday as he greeted Benedict in the Vatican gardens for the unveiling of the statue. Benedict, 86, appeared in good form, walking slowly but on his own and greeting well-wishers.

The Vatican's complicated saint-making procedure requires that the Vatican certify a "miracle" was performed through the intercession of the candidate a medically inexplicable cure that is lasting, immediate and can be directly linked to the prayers offered by the faithful. One miracle is needed for beatification, a second for canonization.

Benedict put John Paul on the fast track for possible sainthood when he dispensed with the traditional five-year waiting period and allowed the beatification process to begin weeks after his John Paul's death. Benedict was responding to chants of "Santo Subito!" or "Sainthood Immediately" which erupted during John Paul's funeral.

There has been some concern that the process has been too quick. Some of the Holy See's deep-seated problems clerical sex abuse, dysfunctional governance and more recently the financial scandals at the Vatican bank essentially date from shortcomings of his pontificate.

Thus the decision to canonize John Paul along with John XXIII can be seen as trying to balance those concerns, as well as the shortcomings of each pope.

Such was the case in 2000, when John Paul beatified John XXIII, dubbed the "good pope," alongside Pope Pius IX, who was criticized by Jews for condoning the seizure of a Jewish boy and allegedly referring to Jews as dogs.

As soon as the announcement was made, John Paul's critics came out: Juan Vaca, one of the victims of notorious pedophile priest the Rev. Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legion of Christ religious order, said the decision to canonize John Paul was "appalling and shocking" given the thousands of victims of sex abuse who were ignored under his 27-year pontificate.

The Vatican has argued that sainthood cases are based on the record of the person, not the pontificate.

Asked how John XXIII, elected in 1958, could be canonized without a second miracle, the Vatican spokesman insisted that many theologians believe that a second miracle isn't required. He said Francis had approved a decision by the cardinals and bishops of the Vatican's saint-making office.

"Certainly the pope has the power, in a certain sense, to dispense of the second miracle in a cause, and this is what happened," Lombardi said.

He stressed that this decision didn't represent any relaxing of the Vatican's overall standards for canonization, but represented a unique situation, given that the church this year is marking the 50th anniversary of Vatican II.

"John XXIII is someone who we know is beloved in the church, we're in the 50th anniversary of the Council which he started, and I don't think any of us have any doubts about his virtues," Lombardi said.

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, John Paul's longtime secretary, was clearly pleased that his pope would finally be made a saint.

"John Paul II's holiness was simple, humble, of service," Dziwisz wrote in Friday's Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano. "He lived for God and brought others to God."

___

Javier Cordoba in San Jose, Costa Rica, and Monika Scislowska in Warsaw contributed to this report.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the state of Pennsylvania against the National Collegiate Athletic Association that claimed the sports authority overstepped its bounds with its penalties against Penn State over the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

The antitrust lawsuit filed in January by Governor Tom Corbett sought to have all the NCAA sanctions thrown out. The ruling lets stand an unprecedented $60 million fine imposed on the university and upholds the NCAA's move to void all Penn State's football team victories over more than 14 seasons.

The lawsuit claimed the sanctions would cause economic fallout throughout the state and was filed on behalf of third parties such as stadium workers, shopkeepers, hoteliers and others whose businesses could be hit due to the penalties.

U.S. District Court Judge Yvette Kane said the lawsuit's arguments "fail to advance the ball."

The lawsuit "raises serious questions about the indirect economic impact of NCAA sanctions on innocent parties," she wrote in her ruling. "These are important questions deserving of public debate, but they are not antitrust questions."

Sandusky, Penn State's former defensive coordinator, was convicted last June of 45 counts of sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years, some in the football team's showers. He was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison.

In July, the NCAA, the governing body of U.S. collegiate sports, filed its sanctions against Penn State for the school's failure to stop Sandusky's sexual abuse of children.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the NCAA said it hoped the decision would "serve as a beginning of the end of the divide among those who, like Penn State, want to move forward to put the horror of the Sandusky crimes behind the university and those who want to prolong the fight, and with it, the pain."

Corbett, in a statement issued by his office, said he was disappointed and believes the sanctions "have harmed the citizens, students, athletes, alumni and taxpayers of Pennsylvania."

"Countless individuals and small businesses throughout the state will continue to suffer because of the NCAA's actions," he said.

The governor said he would review the state's options with its legal team.

Legal analysts at the time it was filed called the lawsuit a longshot, saying it would be difficult to convert any harm done to local businesses into an antitrust violation. The state would have to show that the penalties harmed consumers and constituted a breakdown in the competitive marketplace, they said.

Penn State was not involved in the lawsuit.

Last week, the family of the late Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, along with a group of faculty and former college athletes, also sued the NCAA over its response to the sex abuse scandal.

Their lawsuit claims the NCAA was wrong to base its sanctions on what it called "flawed findings" in an independent investigation by former FBI Director Louis Freeh into how Penn State handled the Sandusky case.

The Freeh report found Paterno and other university officials covered up Sandusky's sexual abuse for years in an effort to protect the multimillion-dollar football program.

Paterno, one of college football's most revered coaches, was fired by Penn State's board days after Sandusky was arrested in November 2011. Paterno died of lung cancer in January 2012.

(Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst, Alden Bentley and Cynthia Osterman)