Ramos seeks peace with church

Ramos seeks peace with church

MANILA (Reuter): President Fidel Ramos sought peace yesterday
with the Roman Catholic Church over the government's campaign to
trim high Philippine population growth through contraception.

Seeking to appease church anger over his population policy,
Ramos categorically rejected abortion as an acceptable method for
family planning and said he hoped differences with the church
would be "eventually resolved."

"One objective that we are pursuing here is clarification, a
meeting of the minds where there is not yet a meeting of the
minds," he told his weekly news conference.

The Roman Catholic Church, a powerful institution in this
largely Christian country, rejects all forms of artificial birth
control.