Hundreds in Australia protest papal visit

SYDNEY, Australia — Australian protesters denounced Saturday what they called Pope Benedict XVI's antiquated and discriminatory views, holding a contest for a slogan that would most annoy Roman Catholics and chanting: "The pope is wrong, put a condom on!"
The burlesque, boisterous protest by about 300 demonstrators in central Sydney was in sharp contrast to the solemn papal Mass held earlier at a nearby cathedral, and came as tens of thousands of Catholics marched through the city on a World Youth Day pilgrimage.
Inflated condoms floated like balloons above the crowd of demonstrators - some dressed as nuns and others as priests - as they listened to speeches by activists in support of sex education and safe sex practices at Taylor Square.
"It's good that people protest against the pope's homophobia and misogyny," Alex Bainbridge of the Socialist Alliance told the crowd. "We don't want a war against sex, we want a war against sexually transmitted infections. We're here for the people who could be saved if they had adequate sex education and access to condoms."
Police on horseback and on foot patrolled, but there were no signs of trouble.
The demonstrators also held a "most annoying T-shirt" competition, which was judged by the crowd who picked a crude reference to Mary, Christ's mother, as the winner.
The protest drew attention before it was even held after state government officials passed regulations earlier this month that banned anyone from causing "annoyance or inconvenience" to participants in the Catholic festival.
Offenders faced fines of up to US$5,300.
Activists from the NoToPope coalition argued that the regulations infringed on their free speech rights and challenged them in the federal court and won, clearing the way for Saturday's protest.
The controversy about the regulations led to dozens of T-shirts popping up for sale with slogans aiming to challenge authorities to use the regulations.
Tens of thousands of World Youth Day pilgrims marched on Saturday through Sydney, where the landmark harbour bridge and other key roadways were closed to accommodate them on a trek to a horse race track in the city where they will camp out for the night.
Benedict was due to join them on Saturday evening for a couple of hours, then return to the track on Sunday morning to lead a Mass before an estimated crowd of some 250,000. (The Canadian Press)