VATICAN REVILES CLINTON FOR ABORTION STAND

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, January 24, 1993                   TAG: 9301240091
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: ROME                                LENGTH: Short
VATICAN REVILES CLINTON FOR ABORTION STAND
The Vatican castigated President Clinton on Saturday for his new abortion policies, saying his frequent calls for an American renewal have "embarked on the paths of death and violence against innocent beings."
Both the speed of the Vatican's response and its harsh language suggested Pope John Paul II was signaling the onset of a public struggle with the Clinton administration on an issue that divides American Catholics as much as it inspires some of the church's strongest beliefs.
The unsigned editorial in L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, which is frequently used to present the Church's views, came only a day after Clinton issued five abortion-related memorandums in Washington, including a repeal of the ban on abortion counseling at federally financed clinics.
While the Vatican's response was no surprise, the tone of the editorial reflected a sense that the Catholic Church had suffered an important setback on abortion just when its strict rulings are under challenge in predominantly Catholic Ireland and in many parts of Europe and the Third World.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB