Pope Benedict XVI will not be making an appearance at Milan-based Palazzo della Ragione's Art and Homosexuality exhibit.

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An estimated 1.5 million party people lived it up at this year's Europride in Madrid. The revelers toasted Spain's government for its inclusion, including the government's 2005 passage of gay marriage and historic trans rights laws.

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Transgender MP Vladimir Luxuria led approximately 100,000 men, women and trans folk through Rome this weekend to celebrate gay pride.

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Today's a very special day, reader. Well, yes, it's Thursday, which is sort of special, but more importantly, it's International Day Against Homophobia.

Seventeen years ago today, the World Health Organization officially removed homosexuality from its charter of diseases, neuroses and various bugs. Though WHO doesn't think you're sick, plenty of other people do.

International gays and gay supporters will take some time today to shake their fists in a push to decriminalize homosexuality, combat homophobia and vent their frustrations.

There are so many homophobes to choose from, so how do you know which way to wag the finger? Easy, you check out Human Rights Watch's Hall of Shame.

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It seems like the Anglicans aren't the only church duking it out. A survey in Italy's la Repubblica shows that 67% of Italian Catholics support that proposed civil partnership law that will grant limited rights to same-sex couples. Although, it must be noted, only 35% of those people actually think gays deserve the rights. So, really, 32% support a bill that only applies to sinful living straights. But, pro-gayers still have the majority.

Speaking of majority, 80% of Italians, Catholic or not, support the bill, which means that busy-body Pope Benedict XVI has set himself up against most of the country when he said on Monday:

…The confusion at the level of marriage and the failure to recognize what it means to be humane, from conception until death, leaves us to think we are in a period where humanity does not really exist.

It is necessary in personal life, as well as in public life, to have the courage to tell the truth and to pursue it. I invite the civil authorities to show courage.

Politicians publicly derided the church for interfering in social rule. Family Minister Rosy Bindi - a Catholic woman who supports Prime Minister Romano Prodi passage of the bill last week - says, "I like the Church that concerns itself with matters of God".

If the Vatican intend to argue that God's concerned with the future of Italian society, they re-read a letter sent to them by prominent Catholics which worries that the debate may "plunge Italy back in a situation of conflict between being a believer and being a citizen". From the looks of it, however, that's what Bennie and his boys are hoping.

• Moscow's mayor may have banned gay pride, but the Russian government supports the queer right to assemble.

• Gay rights activists may have cheered Italy's potential civil partnership law, but Pope Benedict XVI ain't feeling so cheery. (Surprise, surprise.)

• Potential GOP Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee may not want to comment on Mary Cheney's pregnancy, but he does say he doesn't support gay marriage.

• Scissor Sisters may be uber-talented, but it doesn't really translate on their second Passions appearance. (Or the first.)

• Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead may think they're Dannielynn Marshall Stern's papas, but Zsa Zsa Gabor's hubby, Prince Frederick von Anhalt says he's the real deal.

• The Red Cross may ban men who have sex with men from donating blood, but Cleveland officials think they're wrong.

Things are heating up over in Italy. Tomorrow Prime Minister Romano Prodi will lead a debate on a bill that will allow unmarried couples - homos included - to register for state-sponsored benefits. Of course, his Pope Benedict XVI and his faithful friends have loads to say about gay unions, none of it good, including:

Projects aimed at granting improper legal recognition to forms of unions other [than traditional marriage] appear dangerous and counterproductive as they inevitably weaken and destabilize the legitimate family based on matrimony.

Though the Vatican would like to think it exercises considerable power over the primarily Catholic nation, a public opinion poll suggests otherwise. Bloomberg News reports:

Two-thirds of Italians favor legalization of de facto couples, regardless of sexual orientation, Rome-based research institute Eurispes said in its 2007 annual report released Jan. 26. Among practicing Catholics, 45 percent are against, a separate poll by SWG Srl showed.

Those Catholics will prove invaluable as the Vatican mobilizes its rank-and-file against the measure. Of course, it still seems like they're outnumbered. Thank the totally mythically, culturally concocted gods.

Remember Mickey Weems, the homo-journo who professed his non-sensical love for The L-Word?

Sure, we gave him a bit of shit over that piece, but we still heart him like whoa. After reading his latest offering, we love him like whoa times two.

Just in time for Halloween (today, in case you didn't know), Weems gives Hell House, the Christian sin-themed haunted house, the ol' faggot make-over by suggesting a few sulfur-infused punishments for homo haters (and, of course, a few select homos) everywhere.

While they're all fairly clever, our personal favorite has got to be this particular damnation:

For Christian media whores who drive God-fearing homosexuals into ex-gay reparative therapy (I’m thinking Jerry Falwell, Ann Coulter and the late Reggie White), their hell would consist of being irresistibly attracted to Pope Benedict XVI, who would prance before them in a sexy hot-pink thong (body hair untrimmed) and red Prada shoes.

Ahhh! A hairy Benedict XVI in a thong? If that's not hell, we don't know what is…

(We must admit, however, that we object to Benedict getting to flit about in his Prada's. Give 'em Pay Less or nothing at all!)

We really don't know why we continue to give Pope Benedict XVI so much press. It's not like he needs it, but yet we can't seem to stop. (Also, we wanted to put the Pope next to Tanya Turner. There's some symbolism in there. We're just not sure where.)

Anyway, his alleged holiness made yet another speech in which he condemns homos. In this one, however, they were just veiled admonishments. No fire and brimstone talk, no eternal damnation, just a little finger wagging. 365 Gay reports:

In an hour-long speech to Italian bishops and lay leaders, Benedict warned that a secular shift in the West had led to threats to traditional families, including "other forms of unions," a reference to gay marriage.

We must admit that we prefer when Benny and his homies go on about the blasphemous nature of gay marriage. You know: the one in which they insist the world will be brought to a a totally shitty apocalyptic end. True (and straight) believers will fly off to heaven, where they'll enjoy a nice lemonade with Jesus and have a laugh at all the flaming flamers.

That's far more exciting than a passing reference, a route we think puts the Pope more the category of pussy loser, rather than papal leader. If you're gonna hate, hate like you mean it.

Of course, that's not all he said:

Pope Benedict has urged Italians to remain faithful to their Christian traditions, saying they can be examples to the world and enable dialogue with other cultures that are deeply religious.
…
He said that cultures in which "God is excluded" _ referring to a secularized West _ "were not able to establish a real dialogue with other cultures in which the religious dimension is strongly present."

Yeah, because The Catholic Church really knows about bridging cultural divides. They just call it proselytization.

One last note: the Pope praised Italian faith and said "the Christian traditions are often deeply rooted and continue to produce fruit." Yeah, it produces fruits, alright. Then it beats them down until they think they're sinful monsters, leading to exceedingly unhealthy, often violent expressions of repressed sexuality, eg: Anthony Mercieca.

Sure, the 21st century Madonna's all well-and-good, but a Catholic bishop in Canada wants to see more of the first Madonna - you know, Jesus' mother.

As The Vatican wags its holy finger and gay-marriage rears its head once again in Canada, Archbishop James Weisgerber, vice-president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops insists that he and his Catholic homies will be playing a larger role in the debate than ever before.

According to The Toronto Star, his bishopness was reinvigorated by a visit with Pope Benedict XVI - which really means the Pope dug into him right good. (By the way, we've pictured the Pope because we really can't get enough of that picture. What? Like you can?)

Weisgerber insists:

We will be a vigorous part of the debate…People don't really have a sense of personal sin or reflection. We are becoming a more selfish and hedonistic society.

As part of his mission, Weisgerber will seek to unite Catholics with fundamentalist Christians and Muslims.

That sounds like a good idea on the surface, but what if the Jews want to get in on the action, too? Maybe a holy war will erupt (as they're wont to do) and they'll be so distracted that the gays can go forward with the final stage of their plan: complete world domination.

Because, you know, marriage was just the first step in the evil plot to turn our planet into one bacchanal, orgiastic hell fest.

You may have head about the pope - everyone's favorite former nazi bigot religious leader - and his less-than-sparkling comments about Muslims last week. In case you missed it, he said:

Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.

It totally didn't fly and people were straight up pissed. In an effort to quell some of the ire, the pope made a rare, unexpected apology.

I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address which were considered offensive. These were in fact quotations from a medieval text, which do not in any way express my personal thought…The true meaning of my address in its totality was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with great mutual respect.

Hmmm, that's the most half-assed apology we've heard since Arnold Schwarzenegger apologized for calling Latinos "hot blooded." Anyway, aren't most of the things the pope says from a medieval text? And when do the gays get an apology for all the shit he throws on us? We're pissed, too. Do we need to form some sort of underground movement and blow shit up first?

Fuck. Do we have to issue an apology now? If we do, will anyone care?

• 100 Lawyers Can't Be Wrong: Oppose Anti-Gay Law in Virginia. [365 Gay]

• Gay Germans To Protest Pope. 'Nuff said. [Deutche Welle]

• South African Trannies Find Inclusive Bank. Yay! [Afrol News]

• Closeted Rabbi Nabbed by Dateline Convicted. Double yay! [The Advocate]

• Lohan's "missing" bag actually forgotten by assistant. Big shit. [Daily Mail]

• Again, things in Uganda not so good. [BBC]

Pope Benedict XVI (pictured, looking quite lovely - yet still pretty evil - in his little hat thingie. Going to the Derby, maybe?) has a bone to pick with Canada. Namely, their proclivity for social progression, evidenced in their gay marriage and abortion laws. With his Vatican thugs behind him, Benedict gave the country a stern talking to Friday, admonishing:

In the name of 'tolerance' your country has had to endure the folly of the redefinition of spouse, and in the name of 'freedom of choice' it is confronted with the daily destruction of unborn children…

We don't know, but we'd rather "destroy" unwanted unborn children than have people leave them on the street or replenish the ever-growing group of guppies vying for our planet's already limited resources. But that's just us.
The Pope went on to call abortion and gay rights "ephemeral" and "spurious" social issues. Hmmm, we hardly think these issues are ephemeral, or short-lived. As for spurious: well, there ain't nothing false about abortions, but some may say that there's plenty of fallacy behind homosexuality. If his royal popeness, or whatever you call him wants to declare the notion of homosexuality false and we can all go back to having sex with whomever we want, no questions asked…well, so be it.

Pope Tells Canada to End Gay Marriage [365 Gay]

That’s a joke, of course, but because The Vatican has been having a gay old time this week at our expense, we want what payback we can get. First came that obnoxious “directive,” with its tacit implication that while gays may not become priests, former Hitler youths can. Not satisfied with a neat and simple ban, the Vatican had to multiply malign us, with gibberish about homosexuality being “objectively disordered.”

Queerty calls for an objective evaluation of the Immaculate Conception. Ditto, The Resurrection. That walking on water bit also awaits scientific confirmation. Beyond all that, the Pope might consider that his gay baiting empowers gay bashers: this very week, a gay priest was set upon in England by a troglodyte with a baseball bat.

Then in his World Aids Day address, “Benny” Ratzinger mixed stern warnings against the alleged evil of condoms with language implying that homosexuals are responsible for the spread of HIV (though world-wide, many more hets are infected than gays). We’d like to know which is responsible for more infections around the globe; homosexuality, or lack of condoms and knowledge about them. The Pope is an irresponsible bigot, masquerading as a leader and kept in his position of privilege and power by the backwards, narrow-minded hordes who buy that crock about him being infallible. Nonetheless, Queerty would be thrilled to the straps on our thongs to have him as a reader.