In a newly released book, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI defended traditional Catholic teaching on marriage and the family, describing the widespread institution of homosexual “marriage” in Europe as fomenting “a cultural revolution that is opposed to the entire tradition of humanity.”

The former pontiff made the remarks as part of an introduction to the Italian book “The real Europe: Identity and Mission,” some introductory pages of which were published by Italian newspaper Il Foglio on September 16.

Benedict argued that “the legalization in 16 European states of ‘homosexual marriage’” has led to a “deformation of conscience” that extends beyond the secular realm, having “penetrated deeply into the world of marriage in sectors of the Catholic people.”

As such, “the issue of marriage and the family has taken on a new dimension that certainly cannot be ignored.”

“This cannot be responded to with some petty moralism and not even with some exegetical references,” the Pope Emeritus said, adding that “[t]he problem goes deep and therefore must be addressed in fundamental terms.”

In line with historic Church teaching, Benedict affirmed that mankind, “in the mode of male and female, is ordered to procreation, as well as the fact that the community of male and female and the openness to the transmission of life determine the essence of what is called marriage.”

Benedict noted that despite some variance throughout history regarding monogamy and polygamy, the true nature of marriage being the union of man and woman for the purpose of creating offspring is “an orthodox certainty that until now has been obvious to humanity.”

Accordingly, the former Pope stated that “the concept of ‘homosexual marriage’ is in contradiction with all the cultures of humanity that have succeeded each other until today,” and that the legalization of same-sex “marriage” is part of “a cultural revolution that is opposed to the entire tradition of humanity.”

This “cultural revolution,” Benedict said, “was introduced when, with the [contraceptive] pill, the separation of fertility and sexuality became possible in principle,” and that this “new message, contained in the invention of the pill, has profoundly transformed the consciousness of men.”

Benedict said that “[t]his separation means, in fact, that in this way all of the forms of sexuality are equivalent,” giving rise to the modern concept of homosexual unions.

“A fundamental criterion no longer exists,” emphasized Benedict.

Full story at LifeSiteNews.