Commas Gone Wild

Signs of the Times?

"The official, said the question was not 'if it will be published, but when,' referring to the new ruling about homosexuality in Catholic seminaries, a topic that has stirred much recent rumor and worry in the church." [A1]

And then this: "The images coming out of this impoverished, West African nation have been unrelentingly grim...." [A3]

I suppose you could make a case on behalf of this second one, but it would be a stretch.