Abortion row

(First Edition)

ROME (Reuter) - An outspoken call by the Roman Catholic archbishop of Bologna, Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, for abortion to be outlawed in Italy has provoked a storm of criticism. 'The respect for life has be total and coherent,' the cardinal said. 'How can we condemn organised crime and approve the killing in the maternal womb of an unborn baby?'

The newspaper Corriere della Sera criticised the cardinal's emotive language in a front-page editorial while politicians accused him of meddling.