By Charlene Wilson

THE LEADER of Scotland’s Catholic church will lead a poignant debate in the Prime Minister’s back yard tonight on the Government’s controversial embryo bill.

It was widely speculated that the planned visit by Cardinal Keith O’Brien to St Bryce Kirk— where Gordon Brown’s father used to be a minister—would be cancelled after he had a pacemaker fitted on Wednesday but The Courier can reveal he will be attending the event.

A spokeswoman said, “The procedure at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary was done under local anaesthetic and did not involve heart surgery. The cardinal is recovering very well and will resume a full programme in the coming weeks.”

Few could have escaped the cardinal’s recent scathing remarks on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which will allow use of human-animal hybrid embryos in experiments.

He has described it as “a monstrous attack on human rights, human dignity and human life.”

His attendance at St Bryce Kirk follows his Easter Sunday sermon where he called for a free vote on the bill for all MPs.

He said, “It is important that MPs consider carefully the implications of this extremely controversial legislation before they decide how to vote.

“MPs shouldn’t vote for animal-human hybrids because they are scientifically unnecessary. We know adult stem cell research has provided more than 70 useable therapies, which the Catholic church supports.”

Mr Brown, who grew up in Fife, is personally supporting the bill but he bowed to pressure for a free vote on embryology laws but called on MPs to back the “vital” measures.

The cardinal’s fellow speakers will be independent pro-life peer Lord David Alton and CARE chief executive Nola Leach.