"Virgin Mary" Snubbed by the Vatican

Mary's pregnant, and it couldn't have come at a worse time. Tongues are wagging and she'll have to be a tough young woman to raise this child.

That's the ancient story -- and the modern one, too.

Keisha Castle-Hughes, the young actress of Maori descent who two years ago received a best-actress Oscar nomination for her role in the New Zealand-based film "Whale Rider," stars as Mary in "The Nativity Story." After the movie was completed, rumors about a possible pregnancy led Castle-Hughes to confirm in early October that she is, as biblical accounts would put it, "with child."

She's 16. The father is 19, a longtime boyfriend she met at school in Australia, where she now lives. They're not splitting up, but they're not immediately marrying, either.

Vatican officials were not as understanding. According to news reports, they are not thrilled to have the issue cloud their enjoyment of the movie. So Castle-Hughes was dropped from the invitation list for the Vatican's world premiere of the movie today.

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