The Associated Press

LEXINGTON - Calling the baptism of quadruplets being raised by a gay couple "a monstrous sin against God," a Kansas pastor said he and some of his followers will travel to Lexington next month to protest the ceremony.

Fred Phelps, pastor of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, said Monday that gay men and lesbians are "vile, hell-bound beasts" and accused the priest who baptized the infants of being "demon possessed."

The Nov. 24 protest will be Pastor Phelps' second Kentucky appearance.

He and his followers showed up near the entrance of Fort Campbell after a gay soldier there, Pfc. Barry Winchell, was beaten to death with a baseball bat on July 5, 1999. Pastor Phelps said he has held thousands of anti-gay protests across the United States.

He said 12 to 15 members of his congregation will attend the Lexington protest. "This is a monstrous sin against God," Pastor Phelps said.

The reaction stems from Saturday's ceremony in which the Rev. Paul Prabell blessed domestic partners Thomas Dysarz and Michael Meehan as he would any other parents, and baptized their 3-month-old quadruplets at Lexington's Cathedral of Christ the King.

The four babies were conceived through an in-vitro fertilization that paired a surrogate mother's eggs with the sperm of Mr. Meehan, a Lexington lawyer, who plans to raise the children with Mr. Dysarz, his domestic partner.

Mr. Dysarz said that he and Mr. Meehan were not aware of the planned protests.

Mr. Dysarz said he was concerned that the group was using words of hate as though God was saying them.

Mr. Meehan defended Father Prabell.

"I feel badly for the priest, that they are denouncing him for doing what was right. He didn't condone homosexuality, he blessed the children."

"I've always believed that God loves all people. It's not up to some church in Kansas to decide who should be baptized," Mr. Meehan said.

Kentucky Baptist officials distanced themselves from Pastor Phelps, noting that the Primitive Baptist minister has also picketed against the Southern Baptist Convention and evangelist Billy Graham. "It's certainly safe to say that this particular individual or group certainly wouldn't be considered as someone who speaks for Kentucky Baptists or Southern Baptists," Kentucky Baptist Convention spokesman Robert Reeves said Monday.

As for Pastor Phelps' claims that God hates homosexuals, "We believe that God loves all people and that we as Christians and as Baptists want to approach all people from that standpoint," Mr. Reeves added.

Catholic church doctrine prohibits surrogate motherhood and views homosexual acts as sinful.

But officials at the Catholic Diocese of Lexington and Father Prabell based their decision to go ahead with the baptism after determining that the children would be raised as Catholics.