Monsignor de Paula said he was offering a personal opinion, not an official Vatican statement. He pointed out that without Professor Edwards' discovery, there would not be freezers filled with embryos waiting to be transferred to a woman's uterus, or more likely to be used for research or to die. The Catholic Church teaches that human life begins at conception and therefore, must be respected from that moment onwards.
The authorities in Nigeria have arrested the director of the presidential campaign of the former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida. He is one of President Goodluck Jonathan's main political rivals. The campaign director Raymond Dokpesi was detained in connection with the bomb attacks on Friday that killed 12 people in the capital Abuja during independence celebrations.
Football's world governing body Fifa has suspended Nigeria from international competition because of government interference in the Nigerian Football Association. Mary Harper has more.
Nigerian football has been in turmoil since the World Cup when the national team, known as the Super Eagles, was eliminated after failing to win a single match. This was humiliating for Africa's most populous nation, and as a result, Nigeria's
President Goodluck Jonathan banned the Super Eagles from international football. This was quickly reversed after Fifa complained, but political interference continued. And Fifa says that until it stops, Nigeria will not be allowed to take part in any international games.