Several of the players and supporters from Austrian team FC Mariahilf lifted their jerseys to expose diagrams of female reproductive organs and slogans such as “My body, my rule”.

The Vatican team made up of female staff plus wives and daughters of men working at the Holy See, walked off the pitch as the Vatican anthem was played before the umpire abandoned the match before the whistle was even blown.

“The game was called off because we are here for the sport, and not for political or other messages”, Danilo Zennaro, a representative of the Vatican sports association, told public broadcaster ORF.

The Pope made headlines last month when he compared having an abortion to “hiring a hitman”.

Fußballerinnen des FC Wien-Mariahilf zeigen vor dem Spiel gegen den FC Vatikan Symbole für das Abtreibungsrecht und Regenbogen. Eine Spielerin zum ORF: “Der Vatikan vertritt Werte, die gegen unsere Selbstbestimmung gehen. Das wollen wir nicht unkommentiert unterstützen.“ pic.twitter.com/sOQKCQLNzL

— Michael Bonvalot (@MichaelBonvalot) June 22, 2019

A day before the match, the pontiff highlighted the Church’s stance on abortion and told an international association of Catholic doctors that they were called to “respect the gift of life from its beginning to its end”.

The Vatican team made its debut in May and lost 10-0 to AS Roma’s female youth team.

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Watson shared a powerful image with the caption: “Got Baptized in the River Jordan.

“Went tubing in the Sea of Galilee. Took a trip through Mary Magdalene’s hometown. Saw the first church in (Capernaum). Life changing experiences – major blessings!”

The US sportsman was one of several celebrities and political leaders that were invited to take a trip to Israel by an organistation called America’s Voices in Israel, in an effort to “bolster Israel’s image in the United States”.

“This is a part of the world which gets a lot of attention internationally, and this is a chance for me to look beyond the headlines and learn more about the history and culture of this land,” Watson told ABC news.

 

“I have been blessed to visit many countries around the world, but the chance to visit the Holy Land, see the sites and meet the people of this special place, truly is a special blessing and an amazing opportunity.”

Pastor Devon Franklin and actress Meghan Good also travelled to Israel with the organisation in December 2016.

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The woman asked Court of Appeal judges to overturn Mrs Justice Lieven’s decision.

Three appeal judges are considering the case at a Court of Appeal hearing in London.

Mrs Justice Lieven concluded that a pregnancy termination was in the woman’s daughter’s best interests on Friday after analysing evidence at a hearing in the Court of Protection, where issues relating to people who lack the mental capacity to make decisions are considered, in London.

Bosses at an NHS trust responsible for the woman’s care had asked Mrs Justice Lieven to let doctors perform an abortion.

Three specialists, an obstetrician and two psychiatrists said a termination was the best option because of the risk to the woman’s daughter’s psychiatric health if pregnancy continued.

They said the woman’s daughter’s behaviour could pose a risk to a baby.

Specialists also said taking a baby from the woman’s daughter would cause greater psychiatric harm than terminating the pregnancy.

The woman’s mother, a former midwife, was against termination and said she could care for the child.

A social worker who works with the woman’s daughter said the pregnancy should continue.

Lawyers who represented the woman’s daughter also said she should be allowed to give birth.

But Mrs Justice Lieven, who is based in the Family Division of the High Court, said a balance of evidence showed that termination was the best…