 |
||
 |
|
 |
 |
||
|
||||||||||||
Back
to Gay Headline News
(Vatican City) In two weeks Pope Benedict XVI will observe the first anniversary of his pontificate, a reign that has so far continued the rabid opposition to same-sex unions exercised by his predecessor, produced a directive banning gays from entering the priesthood and a call to prevent gays from adopting children.
Born Joseph Alois Ratzinger, he was elected pope on April 19, 2005 following the death on April 2 of Pope John Paul II.
Six weeks after he became pope, Benedict made his first public statement on same-sex marriage.
Calling same-sex unions "pseudo-matrimony" the pope said: "The various forms of the dissolution of matrimony today, like free unions, trial marriages and going up to pseudo-matrimonies by people of the same sex, are rather expressions of an anarchic freedom that wrongly passes for true freedom of man."
Although was his first public comment on same-sex marriage since becoming Pope, Benedict had long history of attacking same-sex unions.
As Cardinal Ratzinger he was the Vatican's most outspoken opponent of gay marriage.
He was the author of the a 2003 Vatican directive to priests around the world calling for a proactive stand to stop governments from legalizing same-sex marriage and for a repeal of those those already on the books that give rights, including adoption, to gay couples.
The 12 page document called on Catholic bishops and lawmakers to oppose the legalization of same-sex unions.
Last November the Vatican released it long-awaited document directing seminaries to reject gays a prospective priests.
"Those people find themselves, in fact, in a situation that presents a grave obstacle to a correct relationship with men and women," it said. "One cannot ignore the negative consequences that can stem from the ordination of people with deeply rooted homosexual tendencies.''
Last month Catholic Charities of Boston announced it would close its adoption service rather than adhere to Massachusetts state law that forbids discrimination against gays and lesbians.
The move was upheld by the Vatican. After Archbishop William Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - the Vatican office once headed by Pope Benedict - said that no bishop should permit children to be placed with gays or lesbians, Catholic adoption services in San Francisco and a number of other areas in the US said they would seek ways of barring gays from adopting.
Before he became pope, and while still head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Benedict announced his opposition to the use of condoms to combat HIV/AIDS and advocated a diminished role for women in the Church.
In 1999 he ordered two Americans, Sister Jeannine Gramick and Father Robert Nugent, to end their associated with New Ways Ministry which provides educational programs for gay and lesbian Catholics nationwide.
©365Gay.com 2006
Next Story: Feingold Announces Support for Gay Marriage
Site
Map
[Future Ex-Boyfriend] [Kiss
of the Week] [Boyfriend Art] [Antique
Boyfriend] [No Porn Promise] [Gay
Boyfriends Dating Connection] [gay
gifts and books shopping] [Gay News and Info]
[streaming
gay video] [gay
sex toy superstore] [get a million bucks for
your gay boyfriend]
 Meet Gay Video Stars LIVE! |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Add a Virtual
Gay Stripper to your desktop - Play with him today, he's FREE