Pope hits out at same-sex unions

Pope Benedict XVI yesterday called laws ignoring the difference between the sexes an "attack" on creation just days after Portugal moved to legalise gay marriage.

Creatures, including humans "can be protected or endangered", the pope, 82, told the Vatican diplomatic corps in a traditional January address focusing mainly on environmental issues.

"One such attack comes from laws or proposals which, in the name of fighting discrimination, strike at the biological basis of the difference between the sexes," he said.

The pontiff cited "certain countries in Europe or North and South America".

Portugal's parliament last Friday approved plans to legalise gay marriage, and a final vote could occur before a visit by the pope in May.