Catholic News Service: on Civil Rights

Pope Francis: Same-sex unions threaten the family

"As you know, these realities are increasingly under attack from powerful forces which threaten to disfigure God's plan for creation and betray the very values which have inspired and shaped all that is best in your culture," he said.

The pope called on his listeners to resist "ideological colonization that threatens the family." The Vatican spokesman said later that the pope was referring to same-sex marriage, among other practices.