Church urged to help curb population

Philippine bishop Bishop Ant-onio Ledesma said in a pastoral letter the Roman Catholic church "could explore the possibility of moving from its earlier position of critical non-collaboration with government to one of principled collaboration (to stem the country's 80 million population which is growing at 2.3 per cent annually".

"Instead of closing other doors, let us open our own for natural family planning, with or without government support," said Ledesma, adding the church should actively promote natural family planning which should go side by side with the government's promotion of the use of artificial birth control devices.

The church's stand on the issue "includes respecting the freedom of choice and the dictates of conscience of married couples, Catholic or non-Catholic," said Ledesma, adding the church will not prevent those who might want to use other forms of control. The church's intransigent position in the past has made it less popular.

The church, a very influential sector of Philippine society, has slowed down the government's effort to curb growth rate, which has resulted in 39.4 per cent poverty incidence.