The Socialist government of Francois
Hollande will unveil its gay marriage bill to the French cabinet on
October 31.
The government's proposal has been
criticized by more than 1,200 French mayors or deputy mayors who have
signed on to a petition warning that they will not officiate over the
weddings of gay and lesbian couples. The Catholic Church also
strongly opposes the reform.
However, Prime Minister Jean-Marc
Ayrault told
the AFP that there would be no backtracking.
“After a very broad consultation
process that, of course, involved religious leaders, I've made up my
mind,” Ayrault said. “This is about ensuring fairness and
equality that reflects the evolution of our society.”
Last month, Pope Benedict XVI called on
Catholics in France to “defend marriage.”
“The family is threatened by a
conception of human nature that is proven to be defective,”
Benedict
told a group of French bishops visiting Castel Gandolfo, the
pope's summer residence located on the outskirts of Rome. “Marriage
and the family are institutions that must be promoted and defended
from every possible misrepresentation of their true nature, since
whatever is harmful to them will in fact be injurious to society
itself.”
Plans to make France the 12th
country to legalize gay nuptials were set in motion in June when
Socialists won control of both houses of Parliament, just weeks after
Hollande, who campaigned on the issue, was elected to lead the
nation.
Hollande has promised the first
ceremonies will be held in mid-2013.