Pope Benedict XVI says he'll visit England this year, even though he doesn't approve of the British government's plans to introduce stronger equality laws for gays and lesbians.
"Your country is well known for its firm commitment to equality of opportunity for all members of society," the Pope wrote to the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales. "Yet as you have rightly pointed out, the effect of some of the legislation designed to achieve this goal has been to impose unjust limitations on the freedom of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs."
"In some respects it actually violates the natural law upon which the equality of all human beings is grounded and by which it is guaranteed," he added.
The Pontiff's statement, widely reported in UK media as a clear assault on Britain's gay equality plans, have sparked outrage among the country's LGBT lobby groups, with many now promising to protest his upcoming UK tour.
It's the latest of several occasions when the Pope has spoken out against gay people. Just last month he sent a message to a Spanish rally against civil unions for same sex couples, saying a family is "founded on the marriage between a man and a woman... because it is of paramount importance for the present and the future of humanity."
