The president of the Philippine bishops’ conference said the church was open to dialogue with President Benigno Aquino III [pictured] about his proposal to distribute contraceptives, and the prelate denied media reports that he threatened to excommunicate the president. Bishop Nereo Odchimar of Tandag, conference president, said in a statement on Sept. 30: “The initial approach of this issue is to be in the spirit of dialogue and not of confrontation. Threat of excommunication at this point of time can hardly be considered to be in line with dialogue. I maintained that the traditional position of the church is that human life starts at conception and not at implantation. Some contraceptive pills and devices are abortifacient. Any completed act to expel or kill the fertilized ovum is considered to be an act of abortion.”
Philippine Bishops, President Clash
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
The administration's attacks on immigrants imperil the rights and freedom of all Americans.
A Homily for Palm Sunday, by Father Terrance Klein
King Charles III and Queen Camilla paid a private visit to Pope Francis in the Vatican on the afternoon of April 9, the 18th day of his convalescence.
The Vatican bank and other Vatican offices with financial dealings are getting more adept at identifying and stopping suspicious financial activity, according to the Vatican’s Supervisory and Financial Information Authority.