Contact: Don Feder, Communications Director, 508-405-1337, dfeder@rcn.com; Rachel Marble, 815-964-5819, media@worldcongress.org; World Congress of Families 

PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Aug. 14, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- More than 120 pro-family and pro-life leaders from 11 countries signed a letter initiated by the World Congress of Families, protesting the U.S. Embassy's participation in the Prague "Gay Pride" parade on August 18.

Signers include a former President of the Southern Baptist Convention, a former Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, a former Arkansas Governor, the head of Torah Jews for Decency and the former Venezuelan Ambassador to the Vatican.

The letter notes that the Obama administration has made promoting gay rights -- including same-sex marriage -- a foreign policy priority. It also observes the irony of those who complain ceaselessly about "cultural imperialism," trying to force the worldviews of the American left on societies with traditional values.

It further comments that: "The United Nations has never affirmed homosexual marriage or rights" and that the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights specifically says that "men and women...have a right to marry and found a family." Family is described as "the natural and fundamental group unit of society" and, as such, "is entitled to protection by society and the state."

The Madrid Declaration of World Congress of Families VI (May 25-27, 2012) -- unanimously adopted by more than 3,200 delegates from 72 countries -- reads in part: "We affirm the natural family to be the union of a man and a woman through marriage for the purposes of sharing love and joy, propagating children, providing their moral education, building a vital home economy, offering security in times of trouble, and binding the generations."

The letter continues: "Regarding 'gay rights,' those caught up in this lifestyle have the same rights as other citizens. This does not include the 'right' to force others to validate a  lifestyle they find objectionable, for religious or other reasons. It also does not include the right of men to marry men and women to marry women. The foregoing pseudo-rights do not advance human freedom and dignity but debase them." Click here to read the full text.

The letter supports Czech pro-family leaders who are outraged by this intrusion in their country's internal affairs. Among others, it was signed by Allan C. Carlson (Founder and International Secretary, World Congress of Families), Silvio Dalla Valle (Executive Director, Luci sull'Est -- Association for the Defense of Christian Values, Italy), Alexey Komov (WCF Representative in Russia and the CIS), C. Gwendolyn Landolt, (National Vice-President, REAL Women of Canada), Paige Patterson  (President, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, former President, Southern Baptist Convention), Christine de Marcellus Vollmer (President, Latin American Alliance for the Family and member of the Pontifical Council on the Family), Tim Wildmon (President, American Family Association), Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse (Concerned Women for America,) Ignacio Arsuaga (President, HazteOir, Spain), Father Frank Pavone (President, Priests for Life), Peter Westmore (President, National Civic Council, Australia), Rabbi Yehuda Levin (spokesman for the Rabbinical Alliance of America, representing over 1,200 Orthodox rabbis in the U.S. and Canada), Theresa Okafor (Foundation for African Cultural Heritage), Bill Donohue (President, Catholic League for Civil and Religious Rights), Tom DeLay (former Majority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives), Mike Huckabee (FOX News personality and former Arkansas Governor), Andrea Williams (CEO, Christian Concern, U.K.), Alan Keyes (former U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO), Rabbi Noson Leiter (Executive Director, Torah Jews for Decency),Alberto Vollmer (former Venezuelan Ambassador to the Vatican), Dr. Richard Land (President, Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission), Matt Staver (Dean of Liberty University Law School, Piero Tozzi (Chief Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom), Duke Paul Hertzog von Olderburg (Director, Federation Pro Europa Christiana, Brussels), Andrea Lafferty (President, Traditional Values Coalition), Alveda King (King for America), Rebekah Ali-Gouveia (Elpis Centre, Trinidad) and Father Shenan Boquet (President, Human Life International). Click here for all of the signers.

World Congress of Families Managing Director Larry Jacobs observed: "When the Czechs asked us to rally international support for the natural family, it was serendipitous. World Congress of Families I was held in Prague in 1997, with the support the Civic Forum and Michal Semin, who's organized opposition to the Prague gay parade.

Click here for more information on World Congress of Families. To schedule an interview with Larry Jacobs, contact Don Feder at 508-405-1337 or dfeder@rcn.com.

The Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society (www.profam.org) is located in Rockford, Illinois and is an independent, non-profit research and education center that provides sound scholarship and effective strategies to affirm and defend the natural family, thus renewing a stable and free society.  The Howard Center is the publisher of the journal, "The Family In America" and is also the organizer of the World Congress of Families (WCF) project which is an international network of pro-family organizations, scholars, leaders and inter-faith people of goodwill from more than 80 countries that seek to restore the natural family as the fundamental social unit and the 'seedbed' of civil society (as found in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948).  The WCF was founded in 1997 by Dr. Allan Carlson, President of The Howard Center.  To date, there have been five World Congresses of Families -- Prague (1997), Geneva (1999), Mexico City (2004), Warsaw, Poland (2007) and Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2009).  World Congress of Families VI was  held in Madrid, Spain in May 25-27, 2012.