Displaying Today's Top 13 Headlines from Cath News:

Priest and nun ice cream temptation ad banned

UK's advertising watchdog banned an ice cream advertisement featuring a young nun and priest about to share a kiss, deeming it offensive and demeaning to those following a religious vocation.

Michelangelo's last mural chapel reopens

The Vatican has unveiled a restored Pauline Chapel that contains the last murals by Michelangelo, following five years shrouded under scaffolding, reports said.

Further support for private schools public funding

Catholic Education Office Melbourne said it supports the view that private schools "deserve public funding because they are educators of the public," expressed in an article in The Australian yesterday.

Potential Michelangelo self portrait in restored chapel

The restoration of Michelangelo's frescoes in the Vatican's Pauline Chapel has uncovered what is believed to be a previously unknown self portrait of the artist.

Squalor on our doorstep sees impetus for national conference

Catholic Community Services is planning to hold a National Squalor Conference to create awareness that living in squalor it is not just happening near "rubbish heaps in the third world."

Son's school death still haunts dad

Greg McBurney, whose son was crushed to death by a faulty 100 kilogram gate at the Lismore Trinity Catholic College in 2005, said in a statement that it has led him to depression and fighting alcohol abuse.

Aussie centre moving north, jokes Pell

"The centre of Australia is moving north. You have a Prime Minister, a Treasurer and a Governor General. Who knows what else?" quipped Cardinal George Pell about Brisbane.

Fast and prayer to keep Marilyn Manson away

Keep vampires away with garlic and holy water, the belief goes, but keep Marilyn Manson away with fasting and prayer, Hungarian Christians are being urged.

US Senators demand release of priest

Thirty seven US senators have urged Vietnam's president to free Catholic priest, Fr Nguyen Van Ly, as human rights groups said his imprisonment justified putting Vietnam on a religious freedom blacklist.

Feature - Walking in the shoes of others

When we make a comment on how another person is reacting to something in their life, what we are doing is experiencing their situation from afar. We are not in that person's shoes, we do not know the facts or intricacies of the situation and we are judging from our own patch, our own situation, our own circumstance. - Pauline Connelly, The Southern Cross

Featured Website - Emmanuel Community Australia

The Emmanuel Community is an association of the faithful of all states of life. It takes its name from Scripture passage in (Mt 1:23) - "Emmanuel" is "God with us" in our daily life.

Opinion - Need for more Catholic compassion not condemnation

Is the attempt by some to ostracise those who seek alternative approaches to the subject of abortion really the most effective and the most moral position a Catholic can take? By ignoring, and so minimising, all other social justice issues, can we possibly consider ourselves sufficiently grounded in a Catholic vision of the world, even in regard to our commitment to this one? - Sr Joan Chittister, National Catholic Reporter

What's On - Eucharist Celebration and Photographic Exhibition

Celebrate the 400 years of Mary Ward and have Eucharist with the Loreto Community at St Francis Church Lonsdale Street, Melbourne on Sunday July 19 2009 at 2.30pm. A photographic exhibition highlighting Mary Ward and the story of Loreto will be on display in St Francis Pastoral Centre from July 19 to 31.