NEWS Vatican alarmed at growing legal acceptance of same-sex unions July 29, 2003 VATICAN CITY - The Vatican is seeking to enlist politicians and worldwide public opinion in its campaign against gay marriages, alarmed by growing legal acceptance of same-sex unions in Europe and North America. Instructions, calling on politicians to oppose extending rights granted to traditional couples, are in a document prepared by the Church's guardian of orthodoxy, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Vatican officials said Monday. The document - "Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons" - will be released Thursday, the Vatican said. A Vatican official familar with the document called it a "practical reflection" for both Catholic and non-Catholic politicians and public opinion in general. "It asks that the legal recognition accorded the traditional marriages not be extended to same-sex unions," the official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity. Pope John Paul II and top Vatican officials have been speaking out for months against legislative proposals to legalize same-sex marriages. It is not the only Christian denomination embroiled in the debate. At their national convention, which begins Wednesday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Episcopal Church in the United States will decide whether to approve same-sex unions and openly gay clergy, issues sharply dividing the church. Catholic teaching says homosexuals must not be subjected to "unjust discrimination" but should be chaste. In January, the pope approved guidelines for Catholic politicians that said church opposition to abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage was not up for negotiation. It said laws safeguarding marriage between man and woman must be promoted and that "in no way can other forms of cohabitation be placed on same level as marriage, nor can they receive legal recognition as such." Legal acceptance is growing. Two Canadian provinces - Ontario and British Columbia - have legalized homosexual marriage under recent court rulings, a move that has attracted gays from across the border in the United States. The Massachusetts supreme court is weighing whether to legalize same-sex unions. Some Republican lawmakers in Washington are calling for a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriages nationwide. Earlier this month, a top German cardinal condemned Germany's same-sex marriage law after it was upheld by the country's supreme court, calling it a blow to the family. "Now the associations of homosexuals have a potent arm to obtain further concessions on the road toward full equality with married couples, including the right to adoption," Cardinal Karl Lehman complained in a Vatican Radio interview. The Vatican is particularly worried about the waning influence of the church in Europe. Drafters of a proposed constitution for the European Union ignored Vatican requests to include explicit mention of Europe's Christian roots. On Sunday, the pope lamented that the church's message was being watered down in Europe, decrying the spread of a "vague and little-demanding religious sentiment, which could become agnosticism and practical atheism." Vatican officials said the document - 12 pages long and available in seven languages - is devoted entirely to the issue of same-sex marriages. A leading gay activist in Italy, Franco Grillini, who is a member of parliament, condemned the Vatican's position as "another intrusion into a country's affairs." He charged that the Vatican operated with a particularly heavy hand in Italy and several other predominantly Catholic countries in Europe, depriving gays of rights guaranteed elsewhere. -Sapa-AP Related stories Vatican waging new offensive against same-sex marriage Christian group attacks "homosexual agenda" in Singapore Gay prelate who turned down bishop's post says he has support Gay activist gate-crashes Anglican church council