SPUC has criticised the comments of an African bishop who said the election of Barack Obama as American president was a divine sign. Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, archbishop of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, told the Synod for Africa currently meeting in Rome that the election of a black US president was a "sign from the Holy Spirit for the reconciliation of races and ethnic groups, for peaceful human relations." Anthony Ozimic of SPUC told LifeSiteNews.com: "In their concern for the advancement of black people, church leaders must not omit to condemn President Obama's pro-abortion policies. Black Catholic and Christian pro-life leaders in both America and Africa regard Mr Obama's presidency as a disaster for black unborn children. Abortion is the deepest antithesis of reconciliation and peaceful human relations. If, instead of killing unborn children, Mr Obama's policies killed, for example, Catholic priests, would Archbishop Monsengwo regard Mr Obama's election as a positive, divine sign? Are unborn children any less deserving of the right to life than Catholic priests?" [LifeSiteNews.com, 7 October] http://is.gd/44iAM

Sex education for children as young as four has started in Glasgow, Scotland. The youngest children will start by learning about body parts. [BBC, 7 October] http://is.gd/44hku The start of the scheme follows the announcement by the Scottish government that every secondary school in Scotland will have its own sex clinic [Catholic News Agency, 7 October] http://is.gd/42arF[ Supporters of such schemes claim it will reduce pregnancies among teenagers, whilst opponents claim that the evidence proves the opposite.

Other stories:

• Planned Parenthood used underage girls in clinical trials pushing abortion ]LifeNews.com, 6 October[ http://is.gd/44jis
• European bishops lament continent's demographic crisis ]Catholic Culture, 7 October[ http://is.gd/44jD0
• Health service in Croydon, London admits it's failed to contain teen pregnancies ]This is Croydon Today, 8 October[ http://is.gd/44gmA
• More should be done to protect unborn babies from car crashes, says expert ]NZ News UK, 8 October[ http://is.gd/44i1N
• One million more people now registered as organ donors ]Telegraph, 8 October[ http://is.gd/44gO7