The current French government is set to give same-sex couples access to civil marriage. This has made Pope Benedict unhappy…
Benedict XVI for gay marriage threatens the family.
During a meeting with a group of French bishops, Pope Benedict XVI called for mobilization against the law on marriage for gay couples to be adopted next year in the first half by parliamentarians.
“The family is threatened by a conception of human nature that is defective (…) defend the family and life in society is nothing but retrograde prophetic” Benedict XVI stated in particular at this meeting , before recalling that “marriage and family are institutions that must be promoted and defended from every possible misrepresentation of their true nature, since whatever is injurious to them is in fact caused injury to the society itself.”
For several weeks, the Catholic lobby is mobilizing against the Socialist government will, next year, to allow marriage and adoption for homosexual couples. After the national prayer decreed on August 15, some clergymen call for a debate or a referendum, and others do not hesitate to slip by comparing homosexuality to polygamy and / or incest.
The above is a Google translation of the article on the French news site Paris Dispatches. Some are saying now that the translation isn’t exact, that the word “defective” isn’t really appropriate, but more like “faulty”. Whatever. I don’t think the spirit intended is violated by either translation.
And I would like to suggest that if the sight of an honest, wholehearted and noble adult romantic love between a same sex couple appears…defective…in your judgement, the defect you perceive isn’t in front of you, but within you.
In this context the word “wrong” or “immoral” might be a more appropriate translation of “defective.”
So far every alternate translation I’ve seen is just as insulting, so what difference does it make?
You’re right of course, RainbowPhoenix. Consider the source.
The word “défectueuse” which was used can be translated into English as either “defective” or “faulty”. I can see no significant difference in meaning between those two English words. Here is my own, I hope, more coherent and idiomatic translation from the French:
“The family is threatened by a conception of human nature which is shown to be defective (…) to defend the family and life in society is not in any way retrograde but rather prophetic,” Benedict XVI stressed at this meeting, before giving a reminder that “marriage and the family are institutions which must be promoted and protected from any possible misunderstanding as to their true nature, because every harm which is caused to them constitutes in effect an injury to human society as such.”
Does he really think the French people or government give a ratzinger’s a*s about what the vatican says or wants?!