At Marriage Meeting With US Anti-Gay Leaders, Pope Decries ‘Spiritual Devastation’ Of New Morality

Pope Francis is in Rome this week at a “traditional marriage” conference. In attendance are some of America’s most active anti-gay activists.

Today kicks off the Vatican’s Humanum conference, a meeting of mostly-Catholics from around the world. The official title is, “An International Interreligious Colloquium on The Complementarity of Man and Woman,” which should explain why some of America’s most anti-gay activists are thrilled to be in attendance.

From news reports and social media, The New Civil Rights Movement is able to find at least these 14 anti-gay religious crusaders at the Vatican’s Humanum:

Rick Warren, Pastor 

Russell Moore, President of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

Robert P. George, National Organization For Marriage Co-founder 

Phillip Bethancourt, Executive VP, Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

Maggie Gallagher, National Organization For Marriage Co-founder 

Tony Perkins,  President of the Family Research Council

Brian Brown, President, National Organization For Marriage, 

Henry Eyring, President of the Mormon Church

Eric Teetsel, Executive Director of the Manhattan Declaration Institute

Ryan T. Anderson, Heritage Foundation Fellow

Mary Ann Glendon, former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican

Charles Chaput, Archbishop of Philadelphia

Austen Ivereigh, author and Catholic Voices founder

The Pope’s speech, full video below, included many veiled attacks on same-sex marriage. Although he did not mention same-sex marriage specifically, his remarks were enough for Christian publications to run headlines like, “Pope Francis stands firm on marriage at Humanum Colloquium.”

“We know that today marriage and the family are in crisis,” the Pope told his very-willing audience. “This revolution in manners and morals has often flown the flag of freedom, but in fact it has brought spiritual and material devastation to countless human beings, especially the poorest and most vulnerable.”

“We now live in a culture of the temporary, in which more and more people are simply giving up on marriage as a public commitment.”

“Do not fall into the trap of being swayed by political notion. Family is an anthropological fact – a socially and culturally related fact.”

 

Here’s the Pope’s speech (and text) – you can choose English subtitles:

 

Fortunately, LGBT pundits and activists shared their thoughts via Twitter: