Pope Unhappy About Divorce and Gay Rights Laws in Spain
Pope Benedict XVI attacked the ease of divorces and gay marriage in Spain during a recent visit to the country, the Chicago Tribune reports.
The Pope was in Spain to dedicate the Sagrada Familia, an immense basilica in Barcelona. While in Spain, the Pope openly criticized the marital rights of gay couples and the “fast-track” divorce, as well as the increasing ease of abortions.
The Pope emphasized that the Socialist government in Spain should “rediscover Christian teachings” and apply them to everyday life. But the Pope’s message didn’t come uncontested.
Approximately 200 gays and lesbians staged a “kiss-in” protest. The main focus of the kiss-in was the church’s polices that consider homosexual acts “intrinsically disordered.” In step with this protest, several hundred women protested the church’s opposition to birth control, contending that this policy gives women a second-class status.
However, a large majority of the people out to see the Pope were in support of the him, if not necessarily his views on gays and lesbians. Nearly 250,000 people were in attendance to cheer for the Pope when he formally inaugurated the basilica.
The Pope is known for attempting to prevent the secular trend that has been dominating Western countries and which have lead to recognition of same sex marriage or unions, and the increased availability of birth control and abortions to women.
The Pope has even gone so far as to describe the secular movement in the Spanish government as “aggressive” and anti-church movement reminiscent of the 1930s. During the 1930s, Spain was increasing in conflict, which eventually lead to a civil war. During this transition, the church faced violent persecution.
The gay men and women participating in the “kiss-in” all timed a kiss with the passing of the popemobile – the bubbled car that the Pope is known to be shuttled around in.
One of the participants in the kiss-in, Sergi Benavent, a 22-year-old nursing student, said he wanted to show his opposition to those “who want to love in just one way.”
The notion of same-sex rights has been a hot topic in many areas of the world, as the trend seems to be growing to allow legal rights for gay couples. Most of the justifications for an opposition of gay rights is linked up with religious views of marriage.
