Family-life stands affirmed by Catholic synod, Pope

The World Synod of Roman Catholic Bishops has closed with Pope John Paul II approving its message that divorce, contraception, abortion, and euthanasia are contrary to God's laws. The 216 bishops from every continent spent the past month discussing problems of Christian family life. Their conclusions, read at the closing ceremony in the Sistine Chapel, and endorsed by the Pope, defined the concept of marriage as God-given and the family as the first cell of the church.