Pope OKs miracle to beatify UK Cardinal Newman

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cardinal John Henry Newman, an influential 19th-century Anglican theologian who converted to Roman Catholicism, moved a step closer to possible sainthood Friday after the pope approved a miracle attributed to his intercession.

Pope Benedict XVI ruled that the recovery of a Boston-area resident who for years suffered from a spinal disorder was miraculous, meaning Newman can now be beatified. A second miracle is necessary for him to be declared a saint — an event which, if it happens, would make Newman the first English-born saint since the Reformation.

Newman, a hero to many Anglicans and Catholics alike, was one of the founders of the so-called Oxford Movement of the 1830s, which sought to revive certain Roman Catholic doctrines in the Church of England by looking back to the traditions of the earliest Christian church. Anglicans split from Rome in 1534 when English King Henry VIII was refused a marriage annulment.

"He was extraordinarily important in helping the Anglican church in finding its identity," said Cynthia McFarland, managing editor of the Anglicans Online Web site.

In 1841, Newman published a paper demonstrating that the Thirty-Nine Articles, the doctrinal statements of the Church of England, were consistent with Catholicism. Amid outcry from Anglicans, Newman retired and in 1845 joined the Roman Catholic Church. A year later he was ordained a Catholic priest.

READ MORE HERE

From 1828 to 1843, John Henry Newman (1801-1890) was vicar of St. Mary's Church in Oxford. He was not what we would call a "charismatic" preacher; he kept his eyes fixed upon his manuscript, never moving, looking at his congregation, or varying the tone or inflection of his voice.

Annapolis woman healed of cancer through intercession of Bl. Seelos

Mary Ellen Heibel / Bl. Francis Seelos

Annapolis, Md., Jul 3, 2009 / 06:53 am (CNA).- An Annapolis woman whose cancer disappeared without explanation has become the focus of canonization efforts for a priest who was once a pastor in her diocese.

Mary Ellen Heibel, 71, was miraculously cured of terminal cancer after praying to Blessed Fr. Francis Seelos, a 19th century Redemptorist priest who had once served in the Annapolis, Maryland area.

“I was first diagnosed with esophageal cancer on January 6, 2003,” Heibel told CNA, “and it was all gone on February 8, 2005.”

As the tumors spread, Heibel had undergone radiation and chemotherapy over several months, but the doctors did not expect a full recovery. “They said the only thing they could do was keep me alive for a little while,” Heibel explained.

But then, a priest from Pittsburgh told Heibel about Fr. Seelos and recommended that she pray a novena to him with her pastor. She did so and a week later, she underwent a scan, which revealed that all the cancer had disappeared.

READ MORE HERE

Sodomy II: Appeal dismissed, High Court to hear case

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has dismissed Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s appeal against a transfer order to move his sodomy trial from the Sessions Court to the High Court.

Court of Appeal judge Justices Abdull Hamid Embong, Abu Samah Nordin and Jeffrey Tan Kok Wha delivered their ruling Thursday after hearing submissions from both parties on Wednesday.

In an immediate response outside the courtroom, Anwar said he was “disgusted” by the decision.

The case had originated in the Sessions Court before judge S.M. Komathy Suppiah last year but Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail later signed a certificate to transfer the case to the High Court. On Nov 7, Komathy ruled that the transfer certificate was invalid.

However, in an appeal on March 5, High Court Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah ruled that the Sessions Court judge had erred, and ordered the case be moved.

On March 10, Sessions Court judge Rozana Ali Yusoff transferred the trial to the High Court.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court will hear on Friday Anwar’s application to compel the prosecution to provide him with documents and evidence relevant to preparing his defence for his sodomy trial, scheduled for July 8.

It will also hear Anwar’s application to strike out his sodomy charge on the same day.

Source: StarOnline

Religion thriller: Michael Jackson & faith

Here is a brief Michael Jackson religion roundup. Make of it what you will:

• Jackson was raised a Jehovah's Witness, and there have been a variety of unconfirmed reports that at some point he was disfellowshipped by the Witnesses. Back in 2000, Jackson penned an essay for Beliefnet about his relationship to the Sabbath, and in it he discussed doorbelling to preach for the Witnesses:

  "Sundays were my day for 'Pioneering,' the term used for the missionary work that Jehovah's Witnesses do. We would spend the day in the suburbs of Southern California, going door to door or making the rounds of a shopping mall, distributing our Watchtower magazine. I continued my pioneering work for years and years after my career had been launched."
• Jackson's brother, Jermaine, is a Muslim, and there were some reports during Michael's life that he, too, converted to Islam. The Times of London rounds up the evidence in an item headlined, "Was Michael Jackson Muslim?"; there was also a roundup on Global Voices. Imam Zaid Shakir blogged about Jackson's conversion to Islam, and then retracted his blog item, concluding, "There have been many reports throughout the media concerning Michael becoming Muslim. Allah knows best as to their veracity.'' Perhaps my favorite development on the role of Islam in the Michael Jackson story, though, was this correction that ran Saturday in the New York Times, revising a comment that Jermaine Jackson made at the hospital where Michael Jackson died:

  "The article...misstated part of a comment that Mr. Jackson’s brother Jermaine offered for Mr. Jackson after speaking with reporters. He said, “May Allah be with you always,” not “May our love be with you always.”

• Not to be outdone, Christianity Today tackles the question, "Was Michael Jackson a Christian?" The evangelical magazine explores, and then essentially debunks, suggestions that Jackson accepted Jesus just before his death. "Initial rumors that the King of Pop had accepted Christ may have been false,'' the magazine concludes.

• The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, meanwhile, offers a story on Michael Jackson's "Jewish Ties,'' which turn out to be quite complex -- he said some offensive things, he was friends with a rabbi, he flirted with kabbalah (who didn't?) and it's possible that at least two of his children are technically Jewish because Jackson's ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, who has been thought to be the biological mother of the children, is Jewish. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a onetime friend of Jackson, wrote a generous appraisal for Beliefnet; Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the head of the Reform movement, offers a far more critical assessment, asking,

  "Is it really necessary, however, now that he is dead, for those who speak in the name of the Jewish community to be joining in the adulation and offering excuses for his actions?"
• There seems to be similar conflictedness in the Catholic community. L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, published a generous appreciation of Jackson's legacy, prompting Tom Heneghan of Reuters to observe: "It’s not every day that the Vatican newspaper suggests that a man accused of paedophilia and said to have converted to Islam might be immortal. But that’s what L’Osservatore Romano did today." Over at American Papist, Thomas Peters is not amused, calling the Vatican paper's assessment, "fawning,'' and suggesting that it could never have appeared in a parish newsletter:

  "Jackson, it should be noted, from all outside accounts, lived a tortured existence and the circumstances of his death should prompt an outpouring of fervent prayers for his soul, not these gushing, hollywood-esque bon mots about how his "myth" will survive "serious and shameful" accusations. All the artistic success in the world, we must realize, is a basket of straw if your personal life was a spiritual, human wreck. I really dig Michael Jackson's music, but as a Catholic, I don't have to buy into the myth that great art makes a great man. Michael Jackson's best chance to "never die" is the mercy of Christ, not his best-selling record."

  (Photo, by Hasan Jamali for The New York Times via AP, shows Michael Jackson wearing a black abaya while exiting a shopping mall in Bahrain with one of his children, also veiled, and a security guard, on Jan. 25, 2006.)

  Source: Articles of Faith

Oh is PM's new political secretary

KUALA LUMPUR:

Published: Thursday July 2, 2009 StarOnline

Academician Oh Ei Sun, who is also a highly sought international speaker,motivator, consultant and entrepreneur, has been appointed political secretary to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak.

An official from the Prime Minister's Office said the appointment was effective June 16.

The 35-year-old Sabahan, trained in law, management, engineering and the languages, has extensive experience serving various international and world bodies under the United Nations.

Oh holds a degree each in aeronautical and mechanical engineering, and another in German language, apart from a double masters in science and international management as well as Juris Doctor in Law (JD), obtained from his eight years of study at the University of Califonia.

His working experience includes serving with international organisation such as International Telecommunication Union and the Working Group on Emergency Telecommunications, both located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Fluent in five languages Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese, German and French, Oh has conducted various consulting works for multinational and international corporations, as well as advising diverse smallandmedium enterprises on legal and business startup issues.

Not limited to the corporate sector, he has also rendered his expertise in strategic, technical and legal advice to various international organisations, governments and agencies, political parties, nongovernmental organisations, as well as professional, civic and cultural bodies.

Oh once served as a United Nations (UN) Expert Consultant, advising various governments on emergency communications. He has also worked closely with various UN partner agencies, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), World Food Programme (WFP), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and UN Development Programme.

He has also served as chief executive officer for a telecomunications company based in Hong Kong, and been involved in mobile multichannel sharetrading services in China.

Oh had his share of expertise in training managerial level professionals, delivered more than 500 modules to more than 20,000 corporate directors where he has recently expanded his expertise in the field of financial management and education.

"I am honoured to be able to serve the country and the people at this critical juncture, both politically and economically," he said here today.

Asked what his first mission would be after being appointed, Oh said he would like to promote the concept of 1Malaysia and engaging in dialogue with more people from the various backgrounds and communities.

"This is particulary important to understand the pulse of the people, as well as to obtain feedback from the people," he said.

"There is one element in 1Malaysia that I feel most deeply about. It is about integrity, both in the public sector and the private endeavour. I would like to see more emphasis on this as we continue to promote 1Malaysia," he said.

This former student of the Kian Kok Middle School in Kota Kinabalu is also an adjunct professor with the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMs). - BERNAMA

Related Source: Sikmading

VIETNAM: REDEMPTORIST PRIEST FACING ARREST FOR 'COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY' ACTIVITIES

Jul. 1, 2009 (CWNews.com) -

Reports in Vietnam's state-controlled media claim that government authorities now have enough evidence to arrest a Redemptorist priest on charges of counter-revolutionary activity and damaging national unity.

On Tuesday, June 30, the People's Public Security Newspaper and other state-run media outlet reported that Father Joseph Le Quang Uy had “bent his head, admitting that he had committed crimes against people and the government.” The newspaper, run by the Vietnamese police force, went on to state that the day before “at the headquarters of the customs at Tan Son Nhat airport, Mr. Le Quang Uy signed a statement admitting that had committed offenses against the law.”

According to the paper, Father Joseph Le had violated the law restricting publishing in Vietnam. Customs officials at Tan Son Nhat airport reportedly discovered in his laptop computer documents and emails with “bad contents” that could damage national unity and the development of the country, distort Vietnamese history, and undermine the policies of the government.

Since February, the state-owned media have repeatedly accused Father Joseph Le of “conducting propaganda against the state” and “plotting to overthrow the communist regime,” calling for "immediate and severe punishment." Under Article 88 of the Penal Code, if convicte he faces a 3- to 20-year prison sentence. There is a possibility that he might face the death penalty.

Father Joseph Le Quang Uy, a pro-life hero and an outspoken critic of recent bauxite-extraction mining in the Central Highlands region, was detained at Tan Son Nhat airport on Saturday June, 6 as he was returning home from a pastoral trip abroad. His luggage had been searched meticulously and his laptop was confiscated by the airport security and customs agents. The priest was later released with a citation that required him to come to the Office of Cultural Inspection for follow-up meetings.

Responding to the charges, Fathere Joseph Le denied all accusations against him, stating that police had altered and distorted the statement he signed on June 29 at Tan Son Nhat airport. According to his own account, most of the documents on his laptop were drafts of his sermons. A few were articles reflecting his opposition to bauxite extraction in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. However, he points out that since these were merely drafts of statements, kept on his own laptop, they could not fall under the provisions of the law governing published material.

The Vietnamese authorities have recently arrested at least 30 dissidents, including a number of prominent lawyers, in a crackdown that raises concerns about a stifling of freedom of expression and freedom of association.

There is growing concern, too, over reports of an imminent crackdown against the Redemptorist priests in Vietnam, who have repeatedly called for the restoration of Church properties confiscated by the government, and petitioned for a halt to the mining of bauxite in the central high plains-- an initiative which they fear would cause irreversible damage to the environment and to the local residents, many of them members of ethnic minority groups.

[By J.B. An Dang]

Weird

Awesome Toilet

THE LADY IS GETTING READY TO ENTER!! This is a picture of a public toilet in Houston

Now that you've seen the outside view,....

take a look at the inside view...

It's made entirely of one-way glass!!!

No one can see you from the outside, but when you are inside it's like sitting in a clear glass box! Now would you... or COULD YOU....???

BATHROOM PAINTED FLOOR!!! IMAGINE YOU ARE AT A PARTY . Tenth floor of a hi-rise building..... AND THEN YOU HAVE TO VISIT THE BATHROOM.... You open the door... NOW, REMEMBER THE FLOOR IS JUST A PAINTED FLOOR ! KINDA TAKES YOUR BREATH AWAY..... DOESN'T IT? Scroll sloooooooowly. .......

Would this mess up your mind??? Would you be able to walk into this bathroom???

This is even weird to knock off your habit ...

THIS IS A CEILING MURAL IN A SMOKER'S LOUNGE.

Now you know why you need to quit smoking, don't let them pray for you yet.

Cheers from DJJG.

Final farewell to Farrah Fawcett

LOS ANGELES (AP): July 1, 2009. The life of "Charlie's Angels" star Farrah Fawcett was celebrated Tuesday at a private funeral in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Her longtime companion, Ryan O'Neal, 68, was among pallbearers who accompanied the casket, covered in yellow and orange flowers, into the Roman Catholic cathedral.

Ryan O'Neal leads other pall bearers as they carry Farrah Fawcett's casket after her funeral service in Los Angeles. - AP

Fawcett's friend Alana Stewart and "Charlie's Angels" co-star Kate Jackson were among early arrivals before the hearse pulled up, accompanied by 10 motorcycle officers.

The private service lasted more than an hour as fans and news media watched from across a street.

A bag piper was the first to emerge from the cathedral after the service, followed by several priests and the pallbearers carrying Fawcett's casket. Her father was helped into a limousine as dozens of other mourners waited nearby to board several white shuttle buses.

The funeral program said Fawcett's and O'Neal's 24-year-old son, Redmond, was to do the service's first reading. He has been jailed in a drug case but received a judge's permission to attend the funeral. He was not seen outside the cathedral, however.

The program, which featured a photograph of a smiling Fawcett, also said Ryan O'Neal was to read the 23rd Psalm and eulogies were to be given by Stewart and Dr. Lawrence Piro, Fawcett's cancer specialist.

Fawcett died Thursday at age 62 after a public battle with cancer. O'Neal and Stewart were at her side.

"After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away," O'Neal said in a statement last week.

"Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world."

Diagnosed with a rare cancer in 2006, Fawcett's battle with the disease was documented in "Farrah's Story," which aired last month on NBC.

Stewart, a producer of the documentary, said Fawcett was "much more than a friend; she was my sister."

"Although I will miss her terribly, I know in my heart that she will always be there as that angel on the shoulder of everyone who loved her," Stewart said in a statement.

Redmond O'Neal was jailed April 5 on drug charges. The order by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Jane Godfrey allowed him to be released for three hours and wear street clothes to attend the funeral.

Source: The Star

Photo Gallery

"If Today Was Your Last Day"

A commentary by Jeremy Lallier

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late,

Could you say goodbye to yesterday?

While browsing the Internet I came across this Nickelback song, "If Today Was Your Last Day" from their Dark Horse album, and realized it raises some real interesting questions:

Would you live each moment like your last?

Leave old pictures in the past?

Donate every dime you had, if today was your last day?

What if, what if, if today was your last day?

Against the grain should be a way of life.

What's worth the price is always worth the fight.

Every second counts 'cause there's no second try.

So live like you're never living twice;

Don't take the free ride in your own life.

Suppose today was your last day. Would you be happy with where everything stands? Have you accomplished everything you wanted to? Are you the person you want to be? And how about your relationships with others? With God?

It can be a scary thought, honestly. If today was our last day, our next waking moment would find us face-to-face with our Creator. Are you prepared for that? Or are there things in your life you were still hoping to get around to fixing "sometime later"?

The truth is, none of us have the luxury of knowing when our last day is. Life is not like studying for a test. You can't put important things off and then hope to cram them all in at the last minute because we have no idea when that last minute is. For all we know, today is our last day.

But that doesn't mean hope is gone. It's just a matter of choosing to live every day as if it is your last, which for us means several things:

• It means living against the grain of society as a way of life.
• It means knowing that living God's way may carry a price tag, but that the cost is easily worth it.
• It means that if God is working with us now, we don't get a second life—only the seconds we have now.
• It means not taking the path of least resistance, but putting our might into the things we do.

The writer of Ecclesiastes spent much of his life trying to find the most satisfying, rewarding way to live life. In the end, he admonished his readers to "rejoice…in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment" (Ecclesiastes 11:9).

Then he finished the inspired book with these words, "Let us hear the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). To understand that conclusion even better, take a moment to also read "Ecclesiastes: The Thinking Young Adult's Guide to Life."

In other words: God has an amazing life prepared for you and for me. He has given you a guidebook filled with wisdom and truth so that you will know how to get the absolute most out of it. He has also given you this day.

So what are we waiting for? Let's get out there and live it! VT

About the Author Jeremy Lallier has just graduated from the Ambassador Bible Center in Milford, Ohio, and plans to resume his education this fall.

President Obama Meets Pope

Barack Obama sought a meeting with the Pope and will have that meeting on July 10th. We owe to one of our many CatholicCulture.org users the suggestion that we sponsor another perpetual rosary, this time for the intention that President Obama will be profoundly influenced by his visit with Benedict XVI. Sign up for a time slot here.

It can be surmised that Obama wanted the meeting both as a matter of diplomatic propriety and to further enhance his legitimacy in the eyes of Catholics. The President is well aware of the divisions in the Catholic community, and he has proven himself a master of staffing his administration with Catholics who disregard the Magisterium of the Church. The degree to which such Catholics have chosen to ally themselves with Obama's programs is well illustrated by a recent feature story in Catholic World Report by Anne Hendershott:Obama and the Alternative Magisterium. All the more reason, then, to pray that the meeting with the Pope will be a different kind of "Catholic" experience for our President, an experience leading to conversion. One would also hope that Obama's contact with American bishops would be a catalyst for conversion. Unfortunately, some bishops still get sidetracked into dubious political issues, as when the head of the USCCB's Committee on International Justice and Peace wildly endorsed an enormously expensive piece of legislation designed to reverse global warming: US Catholic hierarchy shows support for legislation requiring massive tax hike. The reality is that something far worse than global warming is at work in our culture. I refer to continuing moral and spiritual deterioration, which really is the province of the bishops. This deterioration is frequently promoted through the pervasive media influence which shapes us all. Here's a timely reminder of how carefully parents need to control their children's use of new means of social communication: Can Teens Stay Connected Without Losing Touch? Combating these influences is most successfully done by actually developing a counter-culture. I've been reflecting (again) on what this means. Here are my latest ideas on How Culture Is Done.

Moonwalking off the planet

THE AUTOPSYof Michael Jackson will produce shock results for sure. Forensic scientists will open a white guy's body and find a black guy inside.

One wonders which Michael Jackson will be immortalized in statues.

The nice young man with the curls?

Or His Royal Weirdness with the bleached skin and wig-like locks?

Which nose will sculptors recreate? The one that collapsed, the one made out of ear cartilage, or a random one from the biscuit tin under his bed?

READ MORE HERE

Women’s long power of recall

STUDENT Peter Wong sent me a recent news cutting about a 78-year-old woman who beat up her 84-year-old husband. The AP report said: “A witness told police the woman admitted assaulting her husband, including kicking him three times in the groin, because he had an affair 35 years ago.” Peter said: “Isn’t 35 years rather a long time to wait to kick somebody?” It may seem like it, Peter, but clearly you haven’t had much experience with women. They have astonishing powers of recall, far greater than humans. Married men will know what I mean. Somebody appears on television, for example, and you make a seemingly innocuous comment, such as: “Madonna looks good for 50, don’t you think?” There will be a moment of silence as the wife clicks back through her 5,000-terabyte memory dump. Then she will say: “Ah, but you said, 13 years ago, on the way back from the supermarket, on a rainy Tuesday afternoon, at 4.27pm, limping slightly because of your new shoes, that you thought her bottom was bigger than mine.” What is the right response to this? The only correct answer is to nod vigorously and agree with her. (Actually, this is the only response to everything your wife says.) “Yes, honey, you’re quite right, I did say that, and it’s still true.” Peter, here’s some advice. Never, never dispute anything your woman claims to remember, even if it is patently obvious that she has imagined the whole thing. A buddy of mine was once asked by his girlfriend: “Do you still love me as much as you did at 10.34am on the second Wednesday of our first trekking holiday in Nepal?” He replied: “It must have been someone else. I’ve never been to Nepal.” Wrong answer! Within days, he had been kicked out. The correct answer would have been: “Yes darling, I’m sure you’re right. I can’t remember ever going to Nepal, which surely means the two of us visited it in a previous life.” Her eyes will fill with tears as she is deeply moved by your high level of spirituality and self-awareness. She will then agree to any command you give. Why can’t men remember the promises they made five years ago? Or even, let’s face it, earlier the same day? I once asked a top doctor this question (actually, he was a hospital orderly, more or less the same thing) and he explained it in medical terms. Men only have a small amount of blood, and it’s not enough to power multiple organs at once. If the brain is working, everything else stops. If another major organ is using the blood supply, the brain grinds to a halt. This explains why any man approached by an attractive woman will say extremely stupid things, babbling like a toddler. Factor in our limited memory capacity and you begin to understand the challenges of being male. The only way men can function is to auto-delete irrelevant data such as “the loo roll needs changing” or “I am married”, to ensure there is enough memory capacity for the really important stuff, such as who scored the winning goal in the 1978 football semi-finals. You gotta have priorities, men. Ladies: you may now kick your husband.

Jackson senior slammed

MICHAEL Jackson’s father, who had an uneasy relationship with the superstar, angered fans on Sunday when he appeared to make a commercial plug at his first appearance since his son’s death.

Anguish ... dad Joe Jackson's face crumples in tears backstage at entertainment awards

Joe Jackson, the 79-year-old patriarch of the musical clan, made a surprise showing on the red carpet at the Black Entertainment Television (BET) awards, which had transformed into a remembrance for the pioneering King of Pop.

During a live interview on CNN television, instead of talking about his son, Jackson introduced an unidentified man who appeared to be a business partner, saying he wanted to make "a real good statement".

"Marshall and I have – we own a record company. Talking about Blu-ray technology. That’s the next step," Jackson said.

The blogosphere was instantly buzzing with outrage.

Warren Ballentine, an African-American motivational speaker and radio show host, said that he was flooded with angry messages over Jackson’s comments.

"Joe Jackson and his lack of sensitivity and respect disgusts me," said one posting on Jezebel, a blog geared toward women.

Another person wrote on Jezebel that Joe Jackson’s behaviour was "almost too ghastly to consider: a man seems pursued pretty much to the grave by the demons his father planted in him, and even in death the (expletive) ghoul is still hustling his son’s corpse".

Jackson, a steelworker in the industrial city of Gary, Indiana, reared his nine children into musical sensations starting from the Jackson 5 to the phenomenal careers of Michael and his younger sister, Janet.

Michael later said that his father would beat him when he missed a note and emotionally humiliate him, contributing to the future star’s psychological fragility but also planting in him the will to succeed.

The father has acknowledged he would whip his children but denied it was abuse. – AFP

MJ 'is not the biological father of his children'

Michael Jackson is not the biological father of his three children and his ex-wife Debbie Rowe is not their biological mother, it was claimed on Tuesday.

Rowe gave birth to the singer’s two elder children, Prince Michael and Paris, during their three-year marriage but the latest reports in the United States alleged that she was acting as a surrogate and that the children were conceived using donor eggs and donor sperm.

The paternity of the children has long been questioned as both are light-skinned, fair-haired and have blue eyes.

Jackson’s youngest child, Prince Michael II, was born to an unnamed surrogate using donor sperm, it was claimed, and the mother remained unaware that Jackson was the “receiving parent”.

The new allegations from celebrity website TMZ further complicate any potential custody battle over the future of Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, seven.

On Monday, Jackson’s mother, Katherine, 79, was granted temporary custody of the three children and lodged an application to become their legal guardian.

However, if any party were to challenge Mrs Jackson for custody, the ensuing court case could set a legal

precedent as the circumstances are believed to be unique.

There were also reports yesterday that Jackson never filed legal papers to adopt any of his children.

In his 2003 interview with Martin Bashir, Jackson said he used “a surrogate mother and my own sperm cells” to conceive his youngest child. “I had my own sperm cells in my other two children. They are all my children,” he said.

As rumours swirled around the late entertainer’s personal life, arrangements were being made for Jackson’s body to return to his former home, Neverland, where fans will be allowed to pay their last respects to the singer, who died last Thursday aged 50.The hearse will be accompanied to the ranch in Santa Barbara, California, by a 30-strong motorcade. Tens of thousands of fans are expected to line the route on Friday and to queue at the gates of Neverland where a public viewing will be held, according to the website TMZ.com, which broke the news of Jackson’s death. A private funeral will take place on Sunday, according to reports last night.

Neverland was closed in 2006 after Jackson failed to keep up payments and the property has fallen into disrepair. Now there is talk of it becoming a money-spinning tourist attraction in the mould of Graceland, Elvis Presley’s former home.

Documents from 2007, which came to light yesterday, help to clarify Jackson’s tangled finances. They showed that the singer had debts of $331 million (£200 million) but assets of just over $576 million, which left him with a net worth of $236 million.

He also had $668,215 in cash, according to the report, which valued his 50 per cent stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing at $390 million.

John Branca, Jackson’s lawyer until 2006, is believed to have his will and is expected to submit it to Los Angeles Superior Court later this week.

Michael Jackson's funeral to be held at Neverland Ranch

Michael Jackson's family intend to hold the star's funeral at his Neverland Ranch at the weekend, according to reports, raising the prospect that the Peter Pan retreat could become his final resting place.

Neverland:Singer's body will return to the fantasy home he created in the hill above HollywoodPhoto: EPA

A motorcade of around 30 cars will escort the body to the King of Pop's 2,600-acre California estate on Thursday, a monument to his obsession with childhood that once had a private zoo and amusement park.

It is understood there will be a public viewing of the singer, possibly on Friday or Saturday, which is expected to draw fans from all over the world to the isolated retreat north of Los Angeles.

The memorial event could be an indication that the Jackson family has permanent plans for Neverland.

Some fans say the star should be buried at the ranch and want it to be transformed into a memorial, similar to Elvis Presley's Graceland.

More than one million people are expected to pay homage to the King of Pop at his funeral, an event which could dwarf the memorial services held for Presley in 1977 and Diana 20 years later, according to experts.

The US television network CNN has reported that there will be a private service for the family on Sunday.

However, the star's father Joe Jackson had previously said the funeral will not be closed to the public, suggesting there will be a second service.

A memorial service will also be held at Jackson's birthplace of Gary, Indiana, on July 10.

Lalosa Burns, spokeswoman for Gary Mayor Rudy Clay, said the service would take place at US Steel Works sports stadium, and that more details would follow.