By DENNIS POUST

As criticism of the Vatican mounted at the United Nations preparation committee meeting for September's Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, five natural family planning instructors tried to provide an alternative to the prevalent philosophy of population control through artificial contraception and abortion.

Unfortunately for them, however, the group was like the proverbial tree falling in the forest, as only a handful of delegates were on hand to hear the April 18 work session at the U.N. Church Center in Manhattan.

Leading the session was Sheila P. Potter, natural family planning coordinator for the archdiocesan Family Life/Respect Life Office, who is a delegate to the conference representing the U. S. Catholic Conference, a registered nongovernmental organization (NGO).

Ms. Potter was not surprised at the turnout. "I was very happy we had it, even if it was just three people," she told CNY. "I didn't expect any.^,,

She explained that two other major NGO work sessions were rescheduled to conflict with hers. In addition, she said, April 18 was the first day NGOs were not allowed to post the room number of their sessions. On top of all that, her session was relegated to the Church Center which is across the street from the U.N.'s main building, requiring anyone attending to go through the

annoyance of waiting to pass through metal detectors again.

"I know it sounds paranoid but they really were not welcoming to pro-life people at all," Ms. Potter said. She pointed out that the group Catholics for a Free Choice was given a room within the U.N. building.

The feisty NFP coordinator told CNY her problems began when she addressed a Women's Caucus at the conference, only to be rebuked for her pro-life stand.

Throughout her two weeks at the conference Ms. Potter has seen the anti-Vatican, proabortion slant firsthand.

With the United States in the lead, the committee has released a draft program of action that calls for contraception, sterilization and abortion to be made widely available^-throughout the world. The delegation from the Holy See has been one of the few opponents, subjecting it to unprecedented ridicule and derision within the halls of the U.N.

After delivering the Vatican statement April 5, which criticized the draft document, Msgr. Diarmuid Martin, undersecretary for the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace, was publicly rebuked by committee chairman Dr. Fred Sai, former president of the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

"We're fighting the good fight," Ms. Potter said. "The Vatican delegates are very determined that they are not going to roll over. It's a good feeling to know they're not going to buckle but it's very hard to watch when they say something and the U.S. delegates moan."

Ms. Potter is dismayed at the tone of the committee meeting, called PrepCom III.

"They've attached development to it," she said. " `We'll give you development money if you go along with this.' It's really imperialism of the worst kind."

She singled out the International Planned Parenthood Federation as the most influential NGO promoting the agenda. There are about 1,000 NGOs registered for PrepCom III, almost all of them pro-abortion.

"It is simply a very shrewd way of getting control over the Third World," she told CNY. "It means nothing to them that they are killing children through abortion."

She added: "It's only going to be prayer that will make them change because that would take a miracle. Right now it is spreading the lie that abortion is wonderful to the rest of the world. They're medicating women and making them slaves to this ...A woman is fertile 11 or 12 days a year and for this we are going to give them a contraceptive implant for three to five years. It's insanity."