January 01, 2008

Happy New Year, fellow threats

Posted by: Chris

While the rest of us were celebrating the New Year and making resolutions, the leader of the world's largest Christian faith was declaring us a threat to not only the "traditional family" but "world peace" itself. According to Reuters:

Pope Benedict ushered in the third New Year of his pontificate on Tuesday with a call for the protection of the traditional family, which he said was vital for world peace.

The Pontiff, in an apparent swipe at gay marriage, criticized policies that undermine the traditional family unit based on a union between a man and a woman.

"I wanted to shed light on the direct relationship that exists between the family and peace in the world," the Pope said, in his first public address of 2008.

"The family is the primary agent of peace and the negation or even the restriction of rights of the family ... threatens the very foundations of peace."

Interesting that the pope can survey the world's conflicts, most of which boil down to religious zealotry and reaction to it, and somehow point the finger at secular states recognizing the legal rights of committed, long-term gay relationships. So Spain adopts gay marriage, and that's to blame for Al Qaeda and Middle East turmoil?

Back home in the States, our government is led by a president who's on the pope's side of the whole traditional family thing, and yet he's the one who launched a disastrous, elective war opposed by the Vatican. Similarly, the other side of President Bush's epic battle -- or the terrorists' War on Us as Rudy Giuliani likes to say -- is  in agreement with the pope and the president on the gay relationship threat.

How is it, then, that we are to blame for their internecine conflict?

With real threats to world peace abounding, not to mention poverty and disease, Benedict has made demonization of gays and a focus on divisive social issues the central focus of his papacy.  I certainly feel vindication in our decision at the Washington Blade to name him "Anti-Gay Person of the Year" for 2005 -- his first year as pope.

For related stories and the breaking news, click or bookmark: 

• gaynewswatch.com/romancatholic
• gaynewswatch.com/religion

Tags: anti-gay, gay marriage, Pope Benedict