It is good to know that in these times of economic crisis our spiritual leaders care for our well-being. From the International Herald Tribune:

Pope Benedict said Monday that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour was just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction.

Too bad the article does not elaborate on just how pope Benedict wishes to save humanity from homosexual or transsexual “behaviour”. Nor does it answer the question of why Benedict believes that particular kind of “behaviour” is a threat to humanity. I am sure it is not a matter of demography. Too bad, because it is hard to rip an argument apart with so many unknowns. All we know from the quoted snippet is that the pope went on a rant, for the umpteenth time, against homosexual (and transsexual) “behaviour”. Too bad, because my typing fingers are itching…

Instant update: Mail Online has a better article and maybe an explanation of why the pope is so worried:

In a clear reference to homosexuality, he said the failure to respect the union between a man and a woman amounted to the ‘auto destruction of mankind’.

Like I said, it cannot be a demography thing. And there is maybe an explanation of how Benedict would like to see the gay problem solved:

This month the Vatican opposed a proposed UN declaration, backed by all 27 European Union states, calling for an end to the practice of criminalising and punishing people for their sexual orientation. The declaration was seen as an important condemnation of countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality can be punished by death. A Papal spokesman was later forced to clarify that the Vatican continues to condemn the use of the death penalty for any crime, including any related to homosexuality. Instead, the Vatican said its opposition to the UN proposal was driven by concern that countries that prohibit gay marriage would somehow be targeted. The Italian gay rights association Arcigay branded this an ‘excuse’ to distract people from the real intent of criminalising gays.

Guess the people at the Vatican have itchy fingers too. But they do not seem to be for typing. I know I am being populist here, but hey, Benedict is exaggerating too (I hope).

Afterthought: I think gay people are a real pain in the pope’s ass – no pun intended – because their acceptance by modern society (at least legally) subverts his Church’s authority so much. Should secular Western governments at one point reconsider criminalising gays then the Vatican’s stance on gays (or by proxy even women’s rights) would be confirmed. This would then surely reconfirm the Church’s authority and the authority of religion at large. Methinks there is a lot more at stake here than mere reproduction. BTW, wasn’t homophobia criminalized in the EU?