Madrid
A half-million Spaniards, led by dozens of priests and bishops, marched through Madrid this week to protest gay marriage. It was the first time in decades that Catholic clergy had participated in a political demonstration. The lower house of the Socialist-dominated parliament passed a bill last month legalizing gay marriage, and the upper house is expected to confirm it next week. The Catholic Church was closely associated with the fascist Franco regime, and since then has been careful to stay out of politics. But bishops said the fight against gay marriage was “social,” not political. “We’ve come to say ‘yes’ to the family unit as composed by man and woman,” said Jesus Sanz, the bishop of Huesca. Polls show, however, that most Spaniards support gay nuptials.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meatThe Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human bloodUnder the radar Drugging the bugs
