The Vatican has strongly restated the position of the Roman Catholic Church on sexuality, marriage and life in a new document in which it warned that the family was at danger now more than at any other time in history.

The 60-page document entitled “Family and Human Procreation” warned that gay marriage, abortion, and lesbians wanting to bear children among other practices were signs of the “eclipse of God” and major threats to the family, reports Reuters.

The document was released just days after US President George W. Bush called on the US Senate to approve a constitutional amendment that would outlaw same-sex marriage.

"The causes are diverse but the 'eclipse' of God, creator of man, is at the root of the profound current crisis concerning the truth about man, about human procreation and the family," said the document, prepared by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Family.