VATICAN CITY -- A Vatican handbook made public today questioned preventive war and denounced the "horrendous crime" of abortion, but Vatican officials denied they were trying to influence the U.S. presidential election campaign.
Officials also sidestepped questions on whether the war in Iraq was illegal and whether Roman Catholics can vote for politicians who back laws permitting abortion.
The questions came at a news conference where Vatican officials presented a 524-page compendium of the Catholic Church's doctrine on social issues including war and peace, the death penalty, globalization, the free market and workers' rights.
The compilation, drawing from decades of teachings by Pope John Paul II and earlier pontiffs, appeared to break no new ground. Officials described the volume as a kind of handbook which could be useful for business leaders, politicians and other agenda-setting figures.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/headline/world/2865223
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