'Our families are threatened by a lack of legal protections,' said HRC's Lisa Bennett.

WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign responded today to comments by Pope John Paul calling marriages of same-sex couples threatening to the family's stability.

"Our families are threatened by a lack of legal protections," said HRC's Lisa Bennett, who directs HRC's Family program. "All families deserve equal protection under the law. No religious institution will ever be forced to perform marriages with which they disagree. This is about loving, caring families who should be treated equally."

According to Reuters, in an annual address to diplomats known as his "state of the world" message, the pope said, "Today the family is often threatened by social and cultural pressures which tend to undermine its stability but in some countries the family is also threatened by legislation which - at times directly - challenge its natural structure, which is and must necessarily be that of a union between a man and a woman founded on marriage."

"The question now is whether we're going to have the same legal protections and responsibilities that other families take for granted," added Bennett.

More information on religious institutions and the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community is available on HRC's website.

Find out more about DignityUSA, the nation's foremost organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics.