Faith-based programs on air this week

Sunday: “Bobby Jones Gospel”: Gospel music performances by Donald Lawrence, Maurette Brown Clark and Kevin Stewart (8 a.m. and 11 a.m., BET, Sunflower Broadband Channel 64.)

“Lift Every Voice:” Host Gerard Henry talks to gospel icon Shirley Caesar about her inspirational career (10 a.m., BET.)

Monday: “Decoding the Past:” This new series looks at prophecies from the past that purported to tell the future. The premiere, “Beyond the Da Vinci Code,” examines the hypotheses suggested by Dan Brown’s novel (8 p.m., History, Sunflower Broadband Channel 54.)

“Tammy Faye – Death Defying:” New documentary explores former televangelist Tammy Faye Messner’s battle and ultimate survival of inoperable cancer (9 p.m., WE, Sunflower Broadband Channel 124.)

Vatican posts surplus after 3 years of losses

The Vatican reported its first surplus in four years for 2004, netting $3.67 million, even though church collections and donations by individuals declined.

Vatican officials credited low-yield but safe investments and consolidation of the dollar in helping the financial situation.

Donations to the papacy known as Peter’s Pence – church collections, foundation money and individual gifts – were $51.71 million, down 7.4 percent from 2003, the statement said. But contributions from individual bishops to the Vatican rose 8.18 percent to $27.21 million.

The Vatican must fund a bureaucracy of 2,663 workers and 1,429 retirees, diplomatic missions in 118 countries, nine international organizations and Vatican Radio, and care for a vast art collection.