NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      LINGEN, Germany (CWNews.com) - The German bishops' conference said on Wednesday following a meeting this week that they would ask Pope John Paul II to give them guidance on whether to continue giving abortion counseling.

      The Catholic Church in Germany operates more than 250 counseling centers as part of the country's abortion counseling system which requires a woman to receive information and advice before she can have an abortion. Last year, the Holy Father said the Church should not participate in the program by issuing the mandated certificates which allows a woman to seek an abortion.

      The German bishops' responded to the Pope's request by saying they would continue counseling, but would gradually phase out participation in the certificate process. Some critics said the phase-out is taking too long, while others claim that women will be reluctant to go to Church-run counselors because they will not be able to have an abortion if they choose, losing the opportunity to change some women's minds.

      Bishop Klaus Lehmann, president of the bishops' conference, said after the meeting that the bishops had been unable to formulate a compromise. "There was a tussle about this. The Pope will have the final decision now," he said.