FEMEN activists take clothes off during mass in St. Peter's Square in Vatican

09:29, 14.01.2013 1 min read

FEMEN activists took their clothes off in front of St. Peter's Cathedral when Pope Benedict XVI appeared on the balcony.

The activists, who were conducting a protest in defense of the rights of sexual minorities, shouted "Shut up!" and had the words "In gay we trust!" painted on their bodies, the FEMEN press service reported.

"The protest was aimed against the fascist homophobic propaganda of the Vatican. In his sermons, Ratzinger [Pope Benedict XVI] uses fascist rhetoric, calls gay marriage 'a threat to humanity,' and calls for a new witch-hunt," the FEMEN press service reported.

"FEMEN demands that the Vatican stop fueling medieval fires of intolerance against dissent and sexual freedom. Religious fanaticism and 'holy celibacy,' not gay marriage, are a threat to humanity," the report says.