TWO AUSTRALIAN archbishops, Cardinal George Pell of Sydney and Barry Hickey of Perth, are facing parliamentary criticism for political interference after warning Catholic MPs that they face excommunication if they voted to allow embryonic stem-cell research, writes Mark Brolly.

 Speaker of the Western Australia Parliament Fred Riebeling called Dr Hickey's remarks "threatening" to MPs and referred the matter to the parliamentary privileges committee, while the cardinal's warnings were described by Catholic New South Wales Cabinet Minister Nathan Rees as "a clear and arguably contemptuous incursion into the deliberations of the elected members of this Parliament". Mr Rees accused Cardinal Pell of "world-class" hypocrisy, and called on him to apologise.