Gay marriage is a ‘Trojan horse’ for confusion, says Catholic cardinal

The head of the Italian Bishops Conference has attacked same-sex marriages and civil unions branding them “irresponsible”.

Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco said that civil unions between gay men and women only serve to “confuse people” and undermine family life.

The Daily Telegraph reports Cardinal Bagnasco also condemned same-sex couples who want to have children.

“It is irresponsible to weaken the family by creating new forms”, the cardinal told a meeting of Italian bishops in the town of Assisi in Umbria on Monday.

“It only confuses people and has the effect of being a sort of Trojan horse, undermining culturally and socially the core of humanity.”

Children “have a right to a mother and a father”, Cardinal Bagnasco added.

Last weekend, the Bishop of Shrewsbury claimed that the Catholic Church should reject gay people in order to avoid encouraging a “pagan world”.

In October, Catholic bishops scrapped their landmark welcome to gay people, showing deep divisions at the end of a two-week meeting sought by Pope Francis to chart a more merciful approach to ministering to Catholic families.

An earlier draft of the document offered a welcoming tone of acceptance, but that was stripped away.

Speaking to reporters in July last year, Pope Francis said that gay people should not be judged or marginalised and should be integrated into society.

In March, Pope Francis declared: “matrimony is between a man and a woman”.

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