Using frozen embryos gets better results for mother and baby in IVF treatments, a study concludes. The study showed that babies which grow from thawed embryos are less likely to be born preterm or underweight and have a lower risk of dying in the days after their birth. Thawed embryos also reduced the risk of bleeding Read more
Embarrassed by the Republicans, the US Democrats have amended their convention platform to add back mention of God and declare that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. The move was made to try and defuse Republican attacks but may have backfired as it infuriated many delegates. The motion only passed after a third attempt. “In Read more
A retired Australian priest, Tom Brennan, has been arrested on charges of failing to report two serious cases of sexual abuse of two children. Brennan, a former vicar-general in the NSW Maitland-Newcastle diocese, was school principal when former priest John Denham is alleged to have committed the sex offences in the 1970’s. ABC reports Denham Read more
The lawyer representing former papal butler Paolo Gabriele has quit just weeks before before Gabriele is due to stand trial for stealing confidential papers. Attorney Carlo Fusco, a childhood friend of Gabriele, told Associated Press’ Nicole Whitfield that his decision to quit is the result of a difference in opinion over the defence strategy. Fusco Read more
Cardinal Keith O’Brien of Scotland has broken off personal discussions with Scotland’s first minister over his government’s continued attempt to redefine marriage. Criticising Scotland’s government for trying to change the definition of Marriage, Cardinal O’Brien told Catholics in a letter read at all masses on Sunday that “marriage is unique” and is a “lifelong union Read more
Alarmed by the decline in the use of Latin within the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict is planning to set up a new Latin school. Latin is the language of the Vatican and Benedict is looking to breathe new life into the dead language by developing a new academy “to better promote the knowledge and speaking Read more
Hal David, the co-composer responsible for “I say a little prayer”, died on Sunday 2 September. David died from complications following a stroke. Other hits he is known for include: “Walk on By” and “Do you know the way to San Jose”, “Close to you,” “I’ll never fall in love again,” and “That’s what friends are Read more
Just a year after Brazil’s Supreme Court allowed same-sex couples the same legal rights as married heterosexuals, a public notary has recognised a civil union of three persons — a man and two women. The notary, Claudio do Nascimento Domingues, said there is nothing in law to prevent such an arrangement. The three parties to Read more
San Francisco’s new Catholic archbishop is scheduled to be arraigned on a drunk driving charge on October 9 — five days after his installation — following his arrest while driving his mother home from dinner at a friend’s house. Archbishop-elect Salvatore Cordileone’s mother Mary told media she blamed herself for her son’s misdemeanour. Archbishop Cordileone, Read more
In a sign of the importance of Catholics in American political life, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York has been invited to pray at the national conventions of both the Republican and Democratic parties. The archbishop of New York is scheduled to give a benediction at the end of the Republican convention in Tampa, Florida, Read more