Vatican City - The head of Italy's influential conference of bishops denounced a leading human rights group on Monday for supporting greater access to abortion.
Monsignor Angelo Bagnasco criticized Amnesty International's "astounding inclusion, among recognized human rights, of the choice of abortion, even though only in the case of violence against women." He spoke at the opening of a two-day meeting of the Italian Bishops' Conference.
The London-based rights group immediately disputed Bagnasco's comments, saying its new policy does not declare abortion a human right.
"This grossly misrepresents AI's policy on sexual and reproductive rights," said Suzanne Trimel, director of media relations at Amnesty in New York. "The particular right AI is working to protect is the right of all women to be free of any form of coercion, discrimination or violence as they make and put into effect informed decisions regarding the regulation of their fertility."
Amnesty says it supports access to abortions in cases of rape, incest, violence or when pregnancy jeopardizes a mother's life or health. It also opposes criminal sanctions for those who undergo or perform abortions.
Bagnasco was the latest in a string of Catholic clergy to criticize Amnesty's decision. Last month, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, said he was resigning his membership in Amnesty because of the new policy.
In June, a Vatican official, Cardinal Renato Martino, said Roman Catholics should stop donating money to Amnesty because of its abortion position.
Amnesty, winner of the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize, says it is not taking a position on whether abortion is right or wrong, and will not campaign generally for abortion rights.
In a statement, Amnesty acknowledged that some religious believers consider abortion a violation of the right to life.
"International law is silent on the question of when life begins and Amnesty International takes no position on this question," the statement said. It added that it respects the diversity of religious viewpoints on abortion.