NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- A working group of Catholic and Islamic leaders, meeting in Cairo last week, concentrated their discussions on the prospects for cooperation in defense of the family.

      The interfaith group met to discuss human-rights issues, and in particular those which affect family life. Msgr. Michael Fitzgerald, the secretary of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, told Vatican Radio that there was a broad agreement on the need for new initiatives to protect families. He added that Catholics and Muslims share a common conception of marriage, rejecting new definitions of the family which could include same-sex couples.

      The working group also agreed that its efforts should be concentrated on the mass media, Msgr. Fitzgerald reported. He said the discussions ended with a common determination to work with media and political leaders to strengthen the understanding of, and concern for, family life.