The Philippine Online Chronicles

In one of his strongest statements against gay marriage to date, Pope Benedict XVI said that gay marriage was one of several threats to the traditional family that undermined "the future of humanity itself."

The Pope made this statement during his New Year address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Vatican where he also talked about other economic and social issues affecting the world today.

"This is not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every society. Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself," the Pope said as he addressed diplomats from nearly 180 countries.

The Pope also stressed that the education of children needed proper “settings” and that “pride of place goes to the family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman”.

"The family unit is fundamental for the educational process and for the development both of individuals and states; hence there is a need for policies which promote the family and aid social cohesion and dialogue," Benedict told the diplomats.

Such statements from the head of the Catholic Church were not surprising, considering the statements the Holy Father has issued regarding homosexuality through the years. Also, early last year, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines promoted a book entitled Homosexuality and the Catholic Church wherein the church teaches that while homosexual tendencies are not sinful, homosexual acts are.

The Catholic Church and its officials have been strongly against legalization of gay marriages and have been campaigning openly. In the US, the Archbishop of New York has staunchly opposed the legalization of gay marriage which was legalized last June of 2011.

Different LGBT groups have shown their dislike of the Pope’s latest statement and have posted several violent reactions in various social networking sites.

Hender Gercio of UP Babaylan reacted with saying, "Religious bigotry is what threatens humanity's future'', while another LGBT advocate posted that such hypocrisy and bigotry have no place in humanity's future and it's not gay marriage that threatens humanity's future but those deep dark secrets kept by the church.

Despite the Pope's statement, more and more predominantly Roman Catholic nations like Spain and Mexico have legalized gay marriage, with the state of New York the latest in the long line of states and countries who have legalized gay marriage despite church's opposition.

In support of the Pope's statement, Archbishop Oscar Cruz of CBCP, in an interview with GMA news, said there although he symphatizes with the LGBT community, same sex marriage would be futile. "What is there that comes from it? Nothing! They are two, they remain two, and they die two. There is not a possibility of them really for a union, much less procreation'', the archbishop claimed.