NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      SAN SALVADOR (CWNews.com) - More than 10,000 firearms have been surrendered to the pastors in San Salvador in exchange for food, in a program modeled on a similar arms-exchange campaign in New York.

      For nine days, the Catholic parishes of the city offered free food in exchange for weapons, with no questions asked. The firearms will now be handed over to the country's National Guard, to be taken out of service. The program was designed to decrease the number of firearms in use in the city, thereby easing the threat of violence.

      The weapons-exchange program was underwritten by a grant from the government of Norway. Organizers of the campaign say that they plan to repeat the process again next year.