Gay marriage evil, abortion terrorism: Vatican

[-Cp]

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican's second-highest ranking doctrinal official on Monday forcefully branded homosexual marriage an evil and denounced abortion and euthanasia as forms of "terrorism with a human face."

The attack by Archbishop Angelo Amato, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was the latest in a string of speeches made by either Pope Benedict or other Vatican officials as Italy considers giving more rights to gays.

In an address to chaplains, Amato said newspapers and television bulletins often seemed like "a perverse film about evil." He denounced "evils that remain almost invisible" because the media presented them as "expression of human progress."

He listed these as abortion clinics, which he called "slaughterhouses of human beings," euthanasia, and "parliaments of so-called civilized nations where laws contrary to the nature of the human being are being promulgated, such as the approval of marriage between people of the same sex ..."

Amato spoke at a time when the Vatican and Italy's powerful Roman Catholic Church are at loggerheads over plans for a highly controversial law that would give unmarried heterosexual and homosexual couples some form of legal recognition.

The Church and Catholic politicians, even some in Prime Minister Romano Prodi's centre-left coalition, see the proposed law as a Trojan Horse and say it could lead to gay marriages.

Amato, who is said to be very close to Pope Benedict, criticized the media's coverage of ethical issues.

After denouncing "abominable terrorism" such as that carried out by suicide bombers, he condemned what he called "terrorism with a human face," and accused the media of manipulating language "to hide the tragic reality of the facts."

"For example, abortion is called 'voluntary interruption of pregnancy' and not the killing of a defenseless human being, an abortion clinic is given a harmless, even attractive, name: 'centre for reproductive health' and euthanasia is blandly called 'death with dignity'," he said in his address.

Gay rights group have criticized the Pope and Catholic Church officials in the past over such comments, accusing them of interfering in Italy's domestic affairs.

Groups opposed to gay marriage and recognition of unmarried couples are planning a national rally in Rome next month.

Italy's Roman Catholic Church, set up on diocesan and parish levels, has the organizational machinery to mobilize hundreds of thousands of people. A huge turnout, which is expected, could be a major embarrassment for Prodi's government.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070423/wl_nm/pope_gays_dc

[typomaniac]

This is the faction of Christianity that's also largely responsible for why Mexico is suffocating under a booming population of the poor - and why the US is faced with a such huge immigration problem.

[manu1959]

This is the faction of Christianity that's also largely responsible for why Mexico is suffocating under a booming population of the poor - and why the US is faced with a such huge immigration problem.

huh? mind splainin this a bit? don't see the nexus.

[typomaniac]

huh? mind splainin this a bit? don't see the nexus.

No birth control allowed. Ever try shopping for a condom anywhere in Mexico besides someplace that obviously caters only to turistas?

[manu1959]

No birth control allowed. Ever try shopping for a condom anywhere in Mexico besides someplace that obviously caters only to turistas?

... so because the vatican is denouncing abortions ..... mexicans don't have access to condoms .... so they are poor and illegally come to america....

[-Cp]

No birth control allowed. Ever try shopping for a condom anywhere in Mexico besides someplace that obviously caters only to turistas?

What does birth control have to do with the plight in Mexico?

[typomaniac]

What does birth control have to do with the plight in Mexico?

No birth control -> too many people -> most of them will end up lacking the basic necessities.

Hey, this concept was pretty well accepted as far back as the middle ages.

[manu1959]

No birth control -> too many people -> most of them will end up lacking the basic necessities.

Hey, this concept was pretty well accepted as far back as the middle ages.

in the middle ages they died....now we give them food stamps and welfare

[darin]

No birth control -> too many people -> most of them will end up lacking the basic necessities.

Hey, this concept was pretty well accepted as far back as the middle ages.

Lack of contraception doesn't cause increased birth-rates. People having SEX causes increased birth rates.

[typomaniac]

Lack of contraception doesn't cause increased birth-rates. People having SEX causes increased birth rates.

And ordering your followers to have "as many offspring as God will send" doesn't exactly help, either.

[typomaniac]

in the middle ages they died....now we give them food stamps and welfare

Ain't modern medicine a bitch?

[avatar4321]

I already posted this:-p

[avatar4321]

This is the faction of Christianity that's also largely responsible for why Mexico is suffocating under a booming population of the poor - and why the US is faced with a such huge immigration problem.

Mexico is suffering from a booming population of poor because the government is completely corrupt and rather than fix any problems in the country they would rather push them onto us.

[avatar4321]

No birth control -> too many people -> most of them will end up lacking the basic necessities.

Hey, this concept was pretty well accepted as far back as the middle ages.

Birth control hasnt existed for centuries and people did not lack for basic necessities. they went out and worked there butts off for them.

[avatar4321]

And ordering your followers to have "as many offspring as God will send" doesn't exactly help, either.

Because children are oh so evil...