I GUESS THIS MEANS THINGS ARE IMPROVING?

The Methodist pastor who fasted to call attention to U.S. troops' treatment of Iraqis has ended his protest.

The Rev. Frederick Boyle of Titusville United Methodist Church broke his fast with communion bread on Sunday, after 22 days of consuming only broth, apple juice and water.

Boyle said the liquid diet left him too weak to minister to his congregation, which had grown uneasy with his political activism.

The hunger strike was intended to protest what Boyle and human rights groups contend are abuses of Iraqi civilians by U.S. and other coalition forces. The military has insisted that when rare abuses have occurred, the soldiers have been prosecuted.

Boyle lost 25 pounds during the fast. He had vowed to continue the fast until conditions changed in war-torn Iraq.

"I have responsibilities in the church. There are people with pastoral needs, and I couldn't meet those needs because my health was suffering," he told The Times of Trenton.

The minister had stirred controversy among his congregants, some of whom expressed anger and stopped attending services, and within the church's neighborhood.

Fearing a patriotic backlash, a next-door neighbor to the church erected a sign saying Boyle did not live there. The sign gave directions to the pastor's home.

Bishop Alfred Johnson has scheduled a meeting later this month to discuss congregants' concerns.

Because this is what he said at the start:

Boyle is in the fifth day of a fast to protest what he calls the American troops' mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners and their families.

Since Saturday he has ingested nothing but water, tea and fruit juice. He's vowed to continue the fast until conditions in Iraq improve, calling most notably for the establishment of a clear and simple process for Iraqi people to find family members taken into custody by coalition forces.

What really annoys me about this case is that hundreds of thousands of Americans - including very possibly you if you are reading this - did something real to help the Iraqis. They loaned their sons and daughters and husbands and wives to the liberation. The've purchased, packed and shipped school supplies, medical supplies, toys and clothes. They've contributed money to ensure the availability of food and clean water.

And this guy? He got his name in the paper. But what did he actually contribute to the Iraqi people?

You tell me.