Died

Frank Robinson, Hall of Fame outfielder and the first African-American manager in the major leagues, died on Feb. 7 at age 83. Robinson was National League Rookie of the Year in 1956 and became known as a lethal hitter. Robinson played professionally until 1974, winning a host of individual awards and two World Series titles. Then, in a history-making move, the Cleveland Indians hired him as player-manager for the 1975 season. He would later manage the Giants, the Orioles, and the Washington Nationals. Toward the end of his career, President George W. Bush presented Robinson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his achievements as a player and manager.

Admitted

Pope Francis has admitted for the first time publicly that Roman Catholic clergy have sexually abused nuns. For years, nuns in India, Africa, Latin America, and Italy have accused priests and bishops of sexual abuse. These accusations include stories of repeated rape and possible sexual slavery. An investigation by the Associated Press found evidence for many of these accounts and reported on the Vatican’s coddling of offenders. In some cases, the Catholic Church responded by removing the nuns who reported the abuse. Pope Francis admitted to the media that this is a persistent problem and says the Vatican is working on it, having suspended some priests under accusation.

Sentenced

A U.S. judge has sentenced Chinese student, Zhao Qianli, to one year in prison after the 20-year-old pleaded guilty to taking illegal photos of an important American defense installation. According to documents of the trial, Zhao entered the Florida base despite signs that the area was restricted. He then walked directly to a line of satellite dishes and antennas to take a series of videos and photos of the base equipment. The court gave no official statement indicating that Zhao intended espionage, and the student’s attorney refused to comment on the subject.

Discovered

Egypt’s government has unveiled a recently discovered Egyptian burial site. Excavations began last year after a university research group accidentally discovered the tomb in Minya, central Egypt. They found a hall in the rock, leading to stairs and a large room with several mummies. Later, two more chambers were found with more mummies and large stone sarcophagi. Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities, which opened the site to diplomats and journalists, reported that more than 40 mummies are in the site dating back to the Ptolemaic era, 323 B.C. to 30 B.C. The mummies, all of which are in good condition, are probably from the same rich family, according to the ministry.

Fired

The elders of Harvest Bible Chapel dismissed James MacDonald as senior pastor on Feb. 12 after a Chicago radio show aired audio of vulgar and inflammatory comments he purportedly made against Christianity Today leadership and journalist Julie Roys. In a statement released the next day, the elders said they had decided, after a time of reflection and prayer, to remove MacDonald from the position, and “that timeline accelerated, when on Tuesday morning highly inappropriate recorded comments made by Pastor MacDonald were given to media and reported.” WORLD has previously reported on accusations of overbearing leadership at the Chicago megachurch under MacDonald.