Cardinal criticizes gay rights laws

LONDON, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- England's senior Roman Catholic leader used his New Year message to criticize the British government's gay equality laws.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said the traditional family is central to society's well-being and that most parents did not want their children to be taught that marriage was just "one lifestyle choice" among many.

"Most parents do not want their children to be taught that marriage is no more than one lifestyle choice among many," he said. "They do not want to expose their children to the risk of becoming promiscuous or indulging in drug and alcohol abuse."

Murphy-O'Connor, who heads the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, said as society is taking notice of the dangers of global climate change and pollution, it was still destroying the family, The Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday.

"It has taken us a long time to realize that if we cut down trees, use cars with highly leaded fuels and build factories with toxic emissions, we were gradually destroying the ecosystem within which we live and

breathe," he said.

"Yet it is equally true that we are rapidly moving the very structures on which society is built and on which humanity depends; we are gradually destroying the 'ecosystem' that supports the family," he added.