Pope highly critical of Spain’s liberal laws

POPE Benedict XVI strongly defended traditional families and the rights of the unborn, directly attacking Spanish laws that allow gay marriage, fast-track divorce and easier abortions as he dedicated Barcelona’s iconic basilica, the Sagrada Familia.

It was the second time in as many days that Benedict had criticised the policies of Spain’s Socialist government and called for Europe as a whole to rediscover Christian teachings and apply them to everyday life.

As he headed to the basilica, about 200 gays and lesbians staged a “kiss-in” to protest at his visit and church policies that consider homosexual acts “intrinsically disordered”. Later, a few hundred women marched to protest over their second-class status in the Church and the Vatican’s opposition to birth control.