VATICAN CITY, JUNE 2, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The Shroud of Turin, a cloth widely believed to be the burial linen of Jesus, will be put on exposition in the spring of 2010, announced Benedict XVI.

The Pope divulged the news today upon receiving in audience some 7,000 faithful from the Archdiocese of Turin. Prior to the audience, Cardinal Severino Poletto, archbishop of Turin, had celebrated Mass for the pilgrims in St. Peter's Basilica.

Our lords and masters could not even bring themselves to reduce the age limit on abortions from 24 to 22 weeks.

The time limit for abortion was kept at 24 weeks last night in the first vote on the issue in 18 years.

Gordon Brown voted against any reduction after insisting there was no medical evidence to justify a change in the law

David Cameron, the Tory leader, backed a reduction, indicating that he favoured it being lowered to 20 weeks, while Gordon Brown and a majority of MPs voted to keep the current limit.

A lowering of the limit had been predicted, but MPs instead rejected all the amendments that would have lowered the limit.

An attempt to prevent two-mother families being legally enshrined also failed.

Pope Benedict has been in America the last few days, on a visit that may well have a lasting impact both on the church there and in the wider world. For complete coverage of what he said (and everything the pope says and writes repays careful study and thought) there's no better place than Christopher Blosser's Benedict in America site.

Still nothing for those younger than 20 weeks, but hopefully this shows that things are changing.

Britain will become the "abortion capital of the world" in the next decade, according to prolife campaigners. They say our termination rate is already higher than any other western European country.

If the current trend continues, Britain is on course to overtake the U.S. and Australia as the place where the greatest proportion of pregnancies are terminated.

Nadine Dorries MP is leading calls for a cut in the upper time limit for so-called "social" abortions from 24 weeks to 20.

For the rest of the story, click here.

Aid to the Church in Need goes to places we really rather wouldn't go and helps people who no one else will succour all over the world. The organisation was founded by Fr Werenfried van Straaten, who died in 2003. This is a short film about his life and work.

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