A Vatican representative to the United Nations spoke out Tuesday against \u201cattacks\u201d\u009d on freedom of conscience and religion directed against Catholics and others who hold traditional beliefs about sexual morality and human nature.<\/p>\n
Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, spoke out in a March 22 meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council, calling attention to what he described as a \u201cdisturbing trend\u201d\u009d in debates over social life and human rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are being attacked for taking positions that do not support sexual behavior between people of the same sex,\u201d\u009d Archbishop Tomasi told the council. \u201cWhen they express their moral beliefs or beliefs about human nature, which may also be expressions of religious convictions, or state opinions about scientific claims, they are stigmatized, and worse \u201d\u201c they are vilified, and prosecuted.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n