The gay Humanist charity the PTT (Pink Triangle Trust) has called for a strong protest to be made when Pope Benedict XVI visits the UK early next
year.

The PTT's secretary George Broadhead said:
"This pope has shown himself to be paranoid about homosexuality.
His opposition to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) rights knows no
bounds. In his Christmas message last year he declared that saving humanity
from homosexual behaviour was as important as saving the rainforest from
destruction. This must be the most outrageous and bizarre claim yet made by
someone who has already got a well-deserved reputation as one of the most
viciously homophobic world leaders on a par with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran
and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. The Vatican reinforced its anti-gay
reputation by strongly opposing a UN declaration calling for an end to
discrimination against gays and the Pope's Christmas messsage provided
clear evidence of an obsession about homosexuality which is tantamount to
paranoia.

"It is imperative that the strongest possible protest be made when he visits
the UK next year. This is not without precedent. During the last papal visit to the UK by John Paul I in 1982, a protest called POPE (People Opposing Papal Edicts) was instigated by the Gay Humanist Group of which I was a founder member. It had the support of other gay and secular organisations including the Campaign for Homosexual Equality and the National Secualr Society. On the occasion of the next papal vist we must pull out all the stops to demonstrate our opposition."

For more information about the trust view:
www.pinktriangle.org.uk/