The Pope's latest book has sparked controversy for the passages in which he calls same-sex marriages a part of "a new ideology of evil."

In the book released for sale Wednesday, the Pope refers to the "pressures" on the European Parliament to endorse same-sex marriages.

"It is legitimate and necessary to ask oneself if this is not perhaps part of a new ideology of evil, perhaps more insidious and hidden, which attempts to pit human rights against the family and against man," he writes.

Memory and Identity is based on taped and transcribed conversations he had with friends in 1993. Proceeds of book sales are earmarked for charity.

The book release was met with widespread interest following his recent stay in hospital on Feb. 1 where he was rushed for flu-related respiratory problems, an ailment some feared would be fatal.

But jubilation among worshippers at the Pope's recovery was not enough to quell further criticism of his latest book.

It raised the ire of Jewish groups who denounced the Catholic leader for allegedly comparing the Holocaust to abortion saying that both came about when leaders tried to seize "the law of God."

"It was a legally elected parliament which allowed for the election of Hitler in Germany in the 1930s and then the same Reichstag that gave Hitler powers which paved a way for the political invasion of Europe and to the creation of concentration camps and for introducing the so-called 'final solution' of the Jewish question, which meant the extermination of millions of sons and daughters of Israel."

The pope continued, "We have to question the legal regulations that have been decided in the parliaments of present day democracies. The most direct association which comes to mind is the abortion laws. ... Parliaments which create and promulgate such laws must be aware that they are transgressing their powers and remain in open conflict with the law of God and the law of nature."

The pontiff also describes the 1981 attempt on his life and attributes his drive to get through the ordeal to his faith. He was shot while riding in an open car in St. Peter's Square.

"Yes, I remember that journey to the hospital," he wrote. "I remained conscious for some time after. I had a feeling that I would survive. I was in pain, I had reason to be afraid, but I had this strange feeling of confidence."

According to media reports, the Pope believes the assassination attempt was not gunman Mehmet Ali Agca's initiative, "someone else masterminded it and someone else commissioned it."

With files from The Associated Press