Pope Benedict XVI today stated that gay marriage was one of a number of practices that “undermine the family, threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself.” The 84-year old pontiff unleashed his remarks, seen as the strongest to date against same-sex marriage, in his annual “State of the World” address delivered to Vatican diplomats from 179 countries.
“The family unit is fundamental for the educational process and for the development both of individuals and states; hence there is a need for policies which promote the family and aid social cohesion and dialogue,” Benedict told the diplomats, according to Reuters.
The Pope added that children need to be educated in proper “settings,” and that “pride of place goes to the family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman,” Reuters reported:
“This is not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every society. Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself,” he said.
The Vatican and Catholic officials around the world have protested against moves to legalize gay marriage in Europe and other developed parts of the world.
One leading opponent of gay marriage in the United States is New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, whom the pope will elevate to cardinal next month.
Dolan fought against gay marriage before it became legal in New York state last June, and in September he sent a letter to President Barack Obama criticizing his administration’s decision not to support a federal ban on gay marriage.
In that letter Dolan, who holds the powerful post of president of the U.S. Bishops Conference, said such a policy could “precipitate a national conflict between church and state of enormous proportions.”
Vatican Radio released the full statement, which includes this excerpt:
In addition to a clear goal, that of leading young people to a full knowledge of reality and thus of truth, education needs settings. Among these, pride of place goes to the family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman. This is not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every society. Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself. The family unit is fundamental for the educational process and for the development both of individuals and States; hence there is a need for policies which promote the family and aid social cohesion and dialogue.
(Emphasis mine)
Image: Pope Benedict XVI in 2008, via Wikimedia
Hat tip: Towleroad