Top Vatican official: Ireland's gay marriage approval 'defeat for humanity'

VATICAN CITY, May 27 (UPI) -- Cardinal Pietro Parolin, considered the highest Vatican official after the Pope, called Ireland's approval of same-sex marriage a "defeat for humanity."

Ireland became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote, with 62 percent in favor.

"I was deeply saddened by the result," Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, said at a conference in Rome on Tuesday night. "The church must take account of this reality, but in the sense that it must strengthen its commitment to evangelization. I think that you cannot just talk of a defeat for Christian principles, but of a defeat for humanity."

Parolin's response marks the strongest criticism of Ireland's constitutional referendum by the Roman Catholic Church.

Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin made more vigilant comments previously.

"It is very clear that if this referendum is an affirmation of the views of young people... [then the church needs] a reality check," Martin said.

"I appreciate how gay and lesbian men and women feel on this day. That they feel this is something that is enriching the way they live. I think it is a social revolution," Martin added.

Pope Francis' tenure created a series of controversial moves toward tolerance since his election in 2013, including meeting with a transgender man, suggesting that divorced people can take communion and that gay people should not be turned away from the church.

"If someone is gay and is looking for the Lord, who am I to judge him?" Francis previously said.

Francis has not responded directly to the Irish referendum.