Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls criticized a draft U.N. document as giving an unbalanced picture of women by belittling their role as mothers. He acidly described parts of the conference draft as impositions by wealthy liberal Western countries on the more traditional developing world.

The Holy See observes in this document pressure of an ideological character that appears to aim at imposing on women of all the world a social philosophy particular to some sectors in Western countries, Navarro-Valls told reporters in Vatican City Tuesday.

With this pre-emptive strike, the top hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church appears to be preparing for an ideological battle at the women’s conference in September similar to one it waged last year in Cairo at the United Nations’ meeting on population and development. In Cairo, the Vatican successfully fought off an effort to include abortion as a human right in the final conference document.

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Such high-profile efforts underscore a shift in the diplomatic focus of Pope John Paul II’s 17-year papacy. Until the end of the Cold War, winning democracy for Eastern Europe seemed the highest priority. With that mission accomplished, the Pope has turned toward resisting the advance of Western social practices, some promoted by governments, that challenge church teachings.

In particular, the Vatican has come to regard the United States as having the global capacity to influence norms, including consumer habits, sexual preferences and family values. The Vatican seems committed to ensuring that liberal trends in American and Western culture do not receive a universal stamp of approval in a U.N. document.