4 Women Strip, Protest Vatican Gay Marriage Stance


By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
VATICAN CITY January 12, 2013 (AP)

Four women have gone topless in St. Peter's Square to protest the Vatican's opposition to gay marriage.

Police quickly took the women away Sunday, and the pope appeared not to have been disturbed as he delivered his traditional prayer from his studio window overlooking the piazza.

On their bare backs, the women had painted slogans "In Gay We Trust," and "Shut Up." One of them, Inna Shevchenko, said: "Today we are here to protest against homophobia."

The small demonstration coincided with a march in Paris that is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people to protest the French president's plan to legalize gay marriage and let gay couples adopt children.

French Catholic bishops and other religious leaders have strongly opposed the proposal, and the Vatican has backed them.







Italian police officers stop members of a group of four women who went topless to protest the Vatican's opposition to gay marriage, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013. Police quickly took the women away, and the pope appeared not to have been disturbed as he delivered his traditional prayer from his studio window overlooking the piazza. On their bare backs, the women had painted slogans "In Gay We Trust," and "Shut Up. (AP Photo/Angelo Carconi)



Police try to stop a Femen activist from protesting on St Peter's square at the Vatican. Picture: Vicenzo Pinto Source: AFP



A pilgrim reacts to the feminist group Femen's protest against the Pope. Picture: Vicenzo Pinto




The four topless protesters had "In Gay We Trust" scrawled on their bodies. Picture: Vicenzo Pinto

Topless protest against Vatican's anti-gay stance

Topless protest against Vatican's anti-gay stance

Members of Ukrainian feminist group Femen go topless in St. Peter's Square in protest against the Vatican's stance on homosexuality

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