GAY groups and politicians condemned Pope Benedict’s number two for calling homosexuality a “pathology” and linking it directly to sexual abuse of children.

POPE Benedict, speaking out on hot topics that will figure in the campaigning for this year’s Italian general elections, yesterday condemned gay marriage and the use of the so-called “abortion pill.”

POPE Benedict XVI is likely to be even more strict than his predecessor, John Paul II, on questions regarding the use of condoms to prevent the spread of Aids, gay rights activists said.