Johannesburg

Monday

Passing showers. Afternoon clouds. Cool.

14°C
23°C

7 day forecasts

Dissidents, gays attack Vatican document

2000-11-22 23:01

Philip Pullella

Vatican City - A Catholic dissident group and Italy's gay community blasted the Vatican on Wednesday over a document that said unmarried couples, heterosexual and gay, should not have the same rights as partners in traditional marriages.

The 76-page document issued on Tuesday by the Vatican's department on family issues called homosexual unions "a deplorable distortion" and attacked attempts to allow gay couples to adopt children.

The document appeared to be an attempt by the Vatican to stem the tide of moves in Europe and North America to give common-law couples equal rights in areas including adoption, pensions, citizenship and taxes.

"I think it was particularly harsh on homosexuals and I think that many Catholics, both lay and theologians, have concluded that there are expressions of sexuality outside of marriage within committed relationships," said Frances Kissling, president of US-based Catholics for a Free Choice (CFC).

The Vatican should realise that "many Catholics are living their lives this way", Kissling told Reuters by telephone from Washington, where CFC is based.

The document, called Family, Marriage and 'De Facto' Unions, said putting de facto unions on the same juridical level as marriage would be detrimental to society and lead to the breakdown of the family.

Giving unmarried couples the same juridical status as a married couple was a sign of what it called a breakdown in society.

"This kind of statement is not likely to contribute to the growth of the Catholic Church anywhere in the world and is likely to alienate Catholics further," Kissling said.

Forceful attack against gays

Tuesday's document reserved its most forceful language for the controversial issue of gay couples, saying: "Marriage cannot be reduced to a condition similar to that of a homosexual relationship. This is contrary to common sense."

Kissling said: "I really do think that God has more important things to worry about than people's sexual relations. War, poverty, debt reduction, racism - these are the things I would like to hear more from the Vatican about."

The document was also attacked by Italy's two leading homosexual rights groups, Arcigay and NOI, which said its call for legislators to block gay rights bills was tantamount to Vatican interference in nations' internal affairs.

"This is a mean and cruel stand because it is aimed at excluding homosexuals and homosexual couples from their juridical rights," said Franco Grillini, director of the NOI group and honorary president of Arcigay.

"It is in this way that homosexuals are not guaranteed the right to welfare for their partner, access to public housing, rights of inheritance," Grillini said in a statement.

He added that the Vatican document had brought its campaign against legal rights for gays "to the limits of racism".

In Europe and North America, moves to allow gay couples to marry and receive other benefits have divided citizens.

Christian Democrats in Germany are opposed to a law allowing the registration of same sex partners, while the Canadian government this year overhauled 68 federal statutes to erase most legal differences between heterosexual and gay couples.

The Presbyterian Church in the United States is divided over whether ministers should bless homosexual unions.

- Reuters

inside news24

Weather
Traffic
Lottery
Cpt: 15-21°C High level clouds. Mild. Pta: 17-26°C Scattered showers. Afternoon clouds. Mild.
Jhb: 14-23°C Passing showers. Afternoon clouds. Cool. Bloem: 14-29°C Mostly sunny. Pleasantly warm.
Dbn: 18-23°C Heavy rain. Mostly cloudy. Cool. PE: 16-22°C More sun than clouds. Mild.
7 day forecasts...

Jobs - Find your dream job

Intermediate C# Developer

Western Cape - Cape Town
Evrst Business Solutions

C#.NET Applications Developer (Contractor – R280 – R320 per hour)

Gauteng - JHB North/Sandton
E-Merge IT Recruitment
R280-320 Per Hour

C#.NET Senior Applications Developer

Gauteng - JHB North/Sandton
E-Merge IT Recruitment
R480,000-500,000 Per Annum Cost To Company

Cars - Search 1000's of new and used cars

AUDI

2009 Audi A3 2.0 T Sportback Manual - 24000kms
Lava Grey & Tan leather interior
R 275 000

AUDI

A4 Avant 2.0 TDi Ambition Dsl MY09 Multitronic
2009
R 349,999.00

VOLKSWAGEN

Polo Classic 1.4 Trendline MY05
2009
R 134,990.00

AUDI

A4 2.0T FSi Ambition 132kW MY09
2009
R 326,039.00

Property - Find a new home

CHAKAS ROCK

Multiple Unit R4,400,000

HEUWELSIG ESTATE

Multiple Unit R1,650,000

SONSTRAAL

Single Residential R1,790,000

Travel - Look, Book, Go!

Luxury bush escape

Book a five-star stay at Pumba Game Lodge or Richard Branson's Ulusaba Safari Lodge and save R2 000. More details!

Free Games - TOO MUCH NEWS? TAKE A BREAK!

Kalahari.net - shop online today

Great Festive Savings on Books

Up to 30% Off ALL Books. 2.3 million titles on SALE.

Sleek New iPod Range. Order Your's Now!

iPod nano 16GB - Black, Was R2,499.00 Now R2,299.00! Save R200!

Up to 40% off Fabulous Festive Flicks

46 000 DVDs and Blu-Ray on sale now! Pre-order Up and District 9!

Up to 20% off ALL Music

100s of festive new releases now in stock! Now, Bump 25, Bon Jovi & more!

1000s of Festive Toys on Sale

Lots of Toys, free gift wrap, lowest prices on Lego Mindstorm, Ben 10, Hannah Montana & more!

Hot Deal of the Day!

Up to 30% off Books

Ends midnight, 30 November

2.3 million titles on sale! New Stieg Larsson, Jeremy Clarkson, Jamie Oliver & more!

Up to 40% Off Sale on All Books, Toys, CDs, DVDs & Games!