A Time to "Come Home"

Catholic News Service

Boston Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley has opened the bicentennial year of the Archdiocese of Boston by asking all Catholics who have left the Church, for whatever reason, to "come home." The cardinal made the invitation during his homily for the first Sunday of Advent at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross: "Noah's ark may have sprung a leak, but it is not sinking, and Christ is the captain. To our brothers and sisters in the life rafts, I say, 'We love you, we want you to return to the practice of the faith, to the faith of our ancestors, the faith of the saints, the faith of the apostles.'" More info here»

Questionable science and outright fraud a nasty brew

The Economist

Genetic testing may lead to many moral dilemmas, including the possible encouragement of aborting less-than-perfect children and using someone's genetic profile to deny insurance coverge. Now, just like many other growing industries, fraud is becoming an issue. The U.S. Government Accountability Office said that genetic tests it had bought from four websites misled consumers into thinking they were at risk of ailments such as heart disease, osteoporosis and type 2 (late onset) diabetes, and thereby tricked them into buying ?personalised supplements? that were actually no better than ordinary vitamins, but at a cost of more than $1,000 a year. Yes, part of the problem is outright fraud, but another issue may be the science. More info here»

Vatican defends right to evangelize