WORLD

National Catholic Reporter, Jan 29, 1999

Describing the family as "the smallest but the most precious cell in human society," Winning said for some sections of contemporary society the family composed of husband, wife and child or children was "only one model amongst many."

"As a Christian I have to acknowledge the reality of other family forms," he went on, "but for me and my church there is only one model, according to divine and natural law, and the sooner society returns to it the healthier we will all be.

"Currently, the family is undergoing a traumatic period, and there can be little doubt that there are very well-organized and -- resourced forces at work in our society which are hell-bent -- and I use those words advisedly -- on destroying the Christian family."

Winning said he did not believe those forces would be successful. "You will not succeed in destroying the Catholic church's commitment to the family, whether you use all-out assaults on the institution of marriage or try to trick us under the guise of political correctness into accepting all sorts of lifestyles which are quite simply unacceptable to the Christian," he said.

Philippine advocates want moratorium on demolitions

A nongovernmental organization of urban poor people and advocates called on the Philippine government for a moratorium on squatter demolitions that it says would cause 165,108 families to lose their homes in 1999.

In their year-end report, Urban Poor Associates said that despite a 49.3 percent drop in demolitions from 1997, "hundreds of thousands of people will be evicted without relocation" if the government follows through with its 1999 plans.

The report concluded that the decline in squatter home demolitions resulted from the economic crisis, which slowed construction activity and the implementation of government infrastructure projects. The drop in the number of demolitions was also attributed to politicians' attempts to woo votes of the urban poor in preparation for the May elections.

However, if the government proceeds with road-widening and river rehabilitation projects in Metro Manila and the southern island of Mindanao, hundreds of thousands of families will be left homeless, the report said.

At least 17 dead in Indonesian violence

New fighting in Indonesia between Christian and Muslim gangs enraged by reports that both churches and mosques had been set afire has left at least 17 dead.

The violence took place on Ambon Island, where at least 100 persons were injured in the days of fighting. The mobs fought with machetes, spears and crowbars.

The violence was the latest in a series of outbursts that has pitted Christians against Muslims in Indonesia. About 90 percent of Indonesia's 202 million people are Muslim. Indonesia's worsening financial and political problems have exacerbated the nation's religious and ethnic divisions.

Ambon police said six houses of worship were set afire, as well as more than 30 homes. The Indonesian Antara news service said the fighting started Jan. 19 after Muslims from the village of Baturerah attacked a man from a neighboring Christian-dominated village whom they accused of being drunk and insulting Islam. Islam frowns on the use of alcohol. More than 700 riot police were needed to stop the violence.