(Brazil) - Visiting Pope Benedict XVI's pronouncements in favor of sexual abstinence and against abortion are falling on deaf ears in Brazil, whose government hands out free condoms to schoolboys as part of a drive to curb AIDS and teenage pregnancy. Meanwhile homosexuals and pro-choice Catholic women have staged scattered protests in major Brazilian cities against the pope's visit, blasting the Vatican for influencing government social policies. The Brazilian Association of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals published an open letter Wednesday saying "religious convictions "cannot influence government policies, much less be used to discriminate."
Note: Read full article on France 24 [4]
