And this is not...!

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- The Vatican hopes to rally public opposition to gay marriages in a worldwide campaign spurred by its alarm over growing legal acceptance of same-sex unions in Europe and North America.

Pope John Paul II has been speaking out for months against legislative proposals to legalize same-sex marriages. But instructions to be released this week go a step further by outlining a course of action for politicians and other lay people to oppose extending the rights accorded to traditional couples, Vatican officials told The Associated Press.

This makes me so angry! Any group purporting to be in favor of "family values," should welcome gay marriage as it increases the potential for more stable families.

Moreover, if the Catholic hierarchy devoted even a fraction of the hypocritical attention they waste opposing gay rights to protecting children from sexually-predatory priests, the world would be a safer and happier place for all.

The article states that the Vatican is concerned about "the waning influence of the church in Europe." If so, the Pope and his hidebound clerics should remove their collective heads from the sands of medieval denial and join the 21st Century!

Complete story here.