Vatican moves to halt gay marriages

ALARMED by growing legal acceptance of gay marriages, the Vatican is issuing new instructions to bishops and Catholic politicians in an effort to halt the trend.

The instructions are in a document prepared by the Church's guardian of orthodoxy, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, that will be released on Thursday, the Vatican said.

It is titled, Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons.