Following the Spanish Government’s audacious proposal to allow same sex couples to marry and adopt children, criticisms from the churches and pro-family groups have raged throughout Europe and the world.

On Monday, 4th October, the Vatican expressed its deep concern for the issue in remarks by Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, the President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, on the Vatican Radio.

Cardinal Lopez Trujillo described the green light for homosexual marriage in Spain as a “sad step”. He sternly backed and reminded people of Pope John Paul II’s views against gay marriage.

“With this proposed law, nothing is left in the definition of marriage,” the cardinal said. “They invent a new definition, implicitly an alternative to marriage.”

In addition, he has presented a deeper worry about this proposal. Indeed, marriage is not only a matter between two people, it will also affect the next generation. Cardinal Lopez Trujillo questioned the proposal which will allow gay couples to adopt children.

“They say that there are lots of studies by psychologists which show that children are happy in this type of couple, but that’s a lie, because we have different studies which show the contrary,” he said.

“A teacher, a psychologist knows very well that the equilibrium that comes from the father and the mother is completely necessary for the development of the child, for its psyche,” he continued.

The legalisation of same-sex marriage by certain countries around the world seems to have caused a slipery slope over ethical values. In Europe, since Belgium and the Netherlands legalised gay marriage, Sweden and Denmark have implemeted laws recognising civil unions of gay couples. Now, the “sad step” has been taken in Spain, and endorsed by the Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

Cardinal Lopez Trujillo criticised all these European nations that already have legalised gay unions. “They present it as if it was a conquest of modernity and of democracy, but really they are falling into deep dehumanisation,” he said.

The Catholic Church in Spain has reacted with outrage to the Spanish government’s proposal as the Government have passed it despite their strong opposition. The Spanish Bishops Conference said that if the legislation goes forward “we would be abandoning the legal and human wisdom of all humanity.”

Juan Antonio Martinez Camino, spokesperson for Spain’s Episcopal Conference said last week, “It [the proposal] would impose on society a virus, something false, which will have negative consequences for social life.”