Family life threatened, Vatican warns

VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican declared yesterday that the traditional family has never been so threatened as in today’s world, lashing out against contraception, abortion, in vitro fertilization and same-sex marriage.

The 57-page document was issued by the Pontifical Council for the Family, whose head, Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, is a strong opponent of the use of condoms under any circumstances.

Gay activists in Italy quickly condemned the paper as an "attack against modern life, freedom and social redemption."

The Vatican’s document did not break any new ground, but summarized traditional Roman Catholic Church positions in the first sweeping comment on the issues during Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy.

The document did not mention the current debate within the Vatican on whether the church should permit condoms to prevent AIDS transmission in a particular circumstance - when one partner in a marriage has the virus.

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