Pope Benedict XVI
lashed out Friday at Canada's laws allowing same-sex
marriage and abortion, saying they result from Catholic
politicians ignoring the values of their religion. "In
the name of 'tolerance,' your country has had to
endure the folly of the redefinition of spouse, and
in the name of 'freedom of choice,' it is confronted
with the daily destruction of unborn children," the
pope told a group of bishops visiting the Vatican from
Ontario.
Such laws, he
said, are the result of "the exclusion of God from the
public sphere." He lamented that Catholic politicians
yielded to "ephemeral social trends and the spurious
demands of opinion polls."
Benedict has made
the defense of so-called traditional family values a
major goal of his papacy, speaking out often on the issue.
During a trip to Spain in July he challenged that
country's Socialist government for instituting liberal
reforms such as same-sex marriage and fast-track
divorce.
Same-sex marriage
was recognized by Canada's parliament last year. New
Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper has pledged to
hold a vote in the House of Commons later this year to
determine whether the issue should be revisited. (AP)
