by Marty Brown
Northern News Services

NNSL (DEC 16/96) - Roman Catholic bishops from across Northern Canada have spoken out about violence against women.

The message is the first of a series to address family violence.

Priests from Labrador to the Yukon recently read the message from their bishops stating that God created men and women equal and both deserve utmost respect.

Just because the Church believes so strongly in the sacredness of marriage doesn't mean that a women must stay in an abusive relationship, the priests said.

The message was that the Bible must never be used to justify violence or neglect. And violence can be physical, emotional, sexual, spiritual, verbal or financial.

"We want to make it very clear that the Catholic Church teaches that a woman has the right and sometimes the duty to protect herself and her children by leaving a violent situation when it occurs.

" We assure you that our church does not insist that you stay in these situations," Father Basil Boudreau of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Yellowknife read from the pulpit.

The church urges couples to seek counselling before leaving a marriage.

In a temporary or permanent separation, the couple remains married, Father Boudreau said.

Only a civil divorce and an acknowledgement by the church changes that.

The church, said the message, is committed to deepening its understanding of family violence and working together to meet this serious challenge to family life.