HK church refers gay protest to police

Hong Kong's Catholic Church Monday lodged a complaint with police and called for firm government action after gay activists disrupted a mass to protest its stance against same-sex marriages.

A small group of activists forced their way onto a cathedral altar Sunday and demanded an apology for an article published in a Catholic newspaper last week backing the Vatican's denouncement of same-sex marriage as "immoral".

"We have written to the police to complain," said Catholic Father Louis Ha.

"We want the government to take concrete action to show the religious sector that their right to hold religious activities free from interference will be protected," he said.

The church also demanded apology from the activists.

It accused the police of handling the matter in a "sloppy manner" Sunday, saying they had arrived late after being called to the cathedral and had not taken immediate action because no property had been destroyed.

Catholic Church head in Hong Kong, Bishop Joseph Zen, said the protesters had been unreasonable and should discuss the matter with it.

The activists were from the Rainbow Action group, among the more radical gay rights groups in Hong Kong.