The Roman Catholic Church has condemned
a ruling by Mexico's highest court that effectively allows gay and
lesbian couples to marry.
The ruling, handed down last month,
declares state bans unconstitutional but falls short of striking them
down. However, district judges are now obligated to grant
injunctions to gay couples who are denied a marriage license.
(Related: Mexico
Supreme Court strikes gay marriage bans; Chihuahua joins equality
states.)
In an editorial published Sunday on its
website Desde La Fe (From The Faith), Mexico's
archdiocese called same-sex relationships “a public health
problem.”
“The human body is not designed for a
homosexual relationship,” the
church wrote.
“The church is opposed [to gay
marriage] because it does not want anyone to suffer the damage that
this kind of marriage often causes: injuries to physical,
psychological and spiritual health.”
This is not the first time the Catholic
Church has criticized the ruling, but its editorial was unusually
graphic.
“[A] man's anus is not designed to
receive, only to expel,” the church argued. “Its membrane is
delicate, it tears easily, and lacks protection against external
agents that could infect it.”
“A penis that penetrates an anus
severely damages it, causing bleeding, infections, and eventually
incontinence, given that with continuous enlargement, the hole loses
the strength to close.”