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.