Friday, November 23, 2001

Pope Says Family 'Under Attack' by Modern Society

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul II said Friday that laws permitting divorce and abortion constituted a violent assault on family life.

The spiritual leader of about 1 billion Catholics around the world told a congress on family issues that society must prevent laws that are not consistent with the true well-being of the family and do more to protect the rights of children.

"The violent attack by some sectors of modern society on the institution of the family must be registered,'' the pontiff said.

Pope John Paul II has repeatedly railed against abortion, divorce and rights for unmarried couples, but said his warnings had not prevented the spread of these practices. "

"They favor bringing the dangerous shadow of the culture of death inside the domestic hearth,'' the pontiff said.

According to the Catholic Church, life begins at the time of conception, making abortion unthinkable.

The pope also made a special appeal for the rights of children, describing them as the victims of broken families.

"When one speaks about the family, children cannot be left out, since in many ways they are innocent victims of the dysfunctional family community.''

The Catholic Church is vehemently opposed to divorce and homosexual unions that threaten the "natural institution'' of the family.

"The power of changing the Creator's original project was not given to man,'' the Pope said.