"[The Church] should also protect man from the destruction of himself. A sort of ecology of man is needed," the Pope said in a speech to the Vatican's central administration. "The tropical forests do deserve our protection. But man, as a creature, does not deserve any less." Gender roles and behaviors, he said, are ultimately innate, not learned.

The UK's Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement called the comments "irresponsible and unacceptable." Rev. Sharon Ferguson, head of the organization, said that they justified "gay bashing." Former Italian MP and transwoman Vladimir Luxuria also called the comments "hurtful."

"I'm someone who was born as male and has a spiritual and female soul," she said, "and it's contradictory that a Pope just thinks of people just made as flesh and not made of a spiritual aspect."

"Stonewall was a little mystified at the equation being made between lesbian and gay people living their lives in loving and committed relationships, on the one hand, and climate change which threatens to destroy the entire planet on the other," said spokesman Derek Munn. "It is self-evident that women and men are different, but it is a big leap to go from that to suggest that unless you are living in a heterosexual marriage, procreating children, somehow your human life is of less value."

"The long speech in which [the Pope] says something about 'human ecology,' as he calls it...simply implies once again that homosexual activity is unacceptable," countered theologian Fr. Gerald O'Collins.

The following BBC segment was broadcast on December 23, 2008: