The daily newspaper owned by Italy's bishops, Avvenire, has criticised the London Summit on Family Planning for trying to export contraception and abortion to developing countries.
An unsigned commentary, entitled "Philanthropy against man", in the 12 July issue, accused Prime Minister David Cameron and the Gates Foundation of spreading Western "nihilism" to more value-based, non-Western nations.
Last week's summit was organised by the British Government and Melinda Gates, wife of Microsoft billionaire philanthropist Bill, and hoped to provide family planning to 120 million women in the developing world by 2020.
Avvenire said "depressing initiatives like those launched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with the blessing of the British Government" were emblematic of West trying to export "its own nihilistic culture throughout the world".