Pope John Paul II Denounces Gay Marriage

(Vatican City) Same-sex marriage represents nothing more than "self-centered demands" erroneously depicted as human rights, Pope John Paul II declared Friday, following a meeting with President George W. Bush.

While much of the meeting focused on the Church's opposition to the war in Iraq the two were able agreed on their opposition to gay marriage.

Immediately after the meeting with Bush, the pontiff held a separate audience with visiting U.S. bishops where he told them that the church's position on same-sex unions must be driven home in the face of "erroneous yet pervasive thinking."

"It is your special responsibility for evangelizing culture and promoting Christian values in society and public life," the Pope told the bishops.

This included not only gay marriage but abortion, the aged pope said, slurring his words making him difficult at times to understand.

"Rights are at times reduced to self-centered demands: the growth of prostitution and pornography in the name of adult choice, the acceptance of abortion in the name of women's rights, the approval of same sex unions in the name of homosexual rights," he said.

He urged church leaders to be courageous despite detractors who call the church bigoted.

"Ambiguous moral positions, the distortion of reason by particular interest groups . . . are just some examples of a perspective of life which fails to seek truth itself and then abandons the search for the ultimate goal and meaning of human existence," John Paul said.

http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/06/060404bushPope.htm

Bah no surprise there then :(

Regards,

Lee