The Vatican has warned Philippino bishop Gabriel Reyes against receiving donations from companies that promote contraception methods, according to the daily, The Manila Standard.

Vatican cardinal and president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Alfonso Lopez Trujillo (photo), said called the donations "morally evil" and said they compromised the gospel and the family. "Accepting such funding creates confusion among the faithful, as they give the impression that abortion, and the production, distribution, and use of contraceptives and abortifacients are acceptable practices," said Trujillo in a letter to the Manila bishop.

Trujillo was responding to a request from Reyes to clarify the Vatican's position on the issue of donations. However, the Vatican has faced criticism over its opposition to the use of condoms despite the findings of the World Health Organization (WHO) that "consistent and correct" condom use reduces the risk of HIV infection by 90 percent. The Catholic church opposes any kind of contraception because it claims it breaks the link between sex and procreation.

"There is no need at all to receive funding from questionable sources, an action that besides will go directly against efforts toward truly Christian formation," said Trujillo. In 2006, Trujillo voiced his staunch opposition to same-sex marriages, homosexual adoptions and birth control, including the use of condoms for married couples even if one of the partners has AIDS.

The Catholic church, which is very powerful in the Asian country, has always opposed attempts by some members of parliament to promote the use of contraceptive pills and condoms. In a recent study, the government said that the poverty index was considerably higher among large families, compared to those with few members.

According to the US organisation, Venture Strategies for Health Development, the population of the Philippines will drammatically increase in the next few decades from 87 to 150 million people unless stricter measures are taken. In the Philippines abortion is illegal, and the availability of condoms and contraceptive pills is very limited, more so among low income families.

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