Catholic Church Strongly Criticizes Lesbian - Gay Marriages
The Catholic church in Costa Rica yesterday strongly criticized a gay and lesbian marriages during the annual mass at the Basilica de Los Angeles in Cartago, in celebration of the Día de la Vírgen de Los Angeles, as thousands of faithfuls listened to the words of the Bishops.

Monseñor José Rafael Barquero, Bishop of the Diócesis de Alajuela, made the statement along with asking the Patron Saint, La Negrita, to clean up the image of the country as a destination for "sexual tourism" and "easy women".

The annual homage to the La Vírgen de Los Angeles was attended by president Oscar Arias and his ministers, legislative deputies, special invited guests and the general public.

"In God's plan, the marriage between a man and a woman is indissoluble. Today we are faced with new definitions of marriage, for example, that marriage is not the communion of love and life between a man and a woman, but rather a pact between two people, without specifying, completely opposed to the plan God has for us, when it comes to couples of the same sex. The Catholic church cannot alter the natural order of our Creator", were the words spoken by Barquero.

"The family is an institution older that the Sate, it rights come before the State, and it entails an obligation to be recognized and respected", added Barquero.

The Bishop also spoke against in vitro fertilization and the accumulation and the display of wealth in the hands of a few is an offense to the disinherited and the road to social unbalance and violence.

For the lesbian-gay community, yesterday's comments where a new violation of their rights.

Francisco Madrigal, a representantive of the Centro de Investigación y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos (CEPAC) said that his group feels violated, again, as to their rights. Madrigal added that for him the message is no representative of all church sectors in the country.

The president of the Movimiento Diversidad, Abelardo Araya, said that he is not surprised by the comments of the Monseñor, but the catholic church should really concern itself with other problems that are burdening the country.

The two men remember the discriminatory message against gays and lesbians by the Cathlic church during the homage of 1998. The group presented a legal action against the Catholic church. This time, however, the two men, though they plan not to take any legal action, assure that not even the Vatican would try to stop them in the fight for equal rights.