Pope Assails ‘Contraceptive Imperialism’

Pope John Paul II today denounced Western efforts to impose “contraceptive imperialism” on the Third World and reiterated his opposition to artificial birth control and abortion.

“When birth control appears necessary as a matter of conscience, couples are invited to act with self-control according to methods which respect nature,” he told more than 100,000 people at an open air Mass at Fianarantsoa in the southern highlands of Madagascar.

“The Church’s teaching seems difficult, but the experience of many couples shows that it can be followed,” the Pope said.

“It is even a liberation compared to the so-called ‘contraceptive imperialism,’ which is so often exercised to the detriment of women,” he added.

The only form of contraception approved of by the Vatican is the rhythm method, which relies on relatively infertile periods in the woman’s menstrual cycle.

Later today, the Pope flew to the wealthy, westernized French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, where he paid tribute to the racial harmony enjoyed by its multiethnic community there.