Rome, Italy, Oct 25, 2007 / 12:29 pm
The Vatican's Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone has come out against a controversial advertising campaign whose goal is to promote the idea that homosexuality is genetic.
The campaign, run by the regional government of Tuscany, uses a photo of a newborn whose hospital identity bracelet bears the French word "homosexuel." Its caption reads "Sexual orientation is not a choice." The image is expected to appear on billboards across Tuscany. The initiative has been praised by some homosexual rights organizations.
Cardinal Bertone told ANSA that, "Doing a publicity campaign like this is not a good idea. This is a bit strange. They shouldn't have gone that far."
The Catholic UDC party called the campaign a "chilling" exploitation of a baby to push the "erroneous" message that homosexuality was innate.