Spain gets tough on mayors who veto gay weddings

London Telegraph

[Grendel9]

Spanish socialists faced a new showdown with the Vatican yesterday after they pledged to crack down on rebel mayors who refuse to allow homosexuals to marry.

Emboldened by support from a senior cardinal, centre-Right mayors have threatened to defy a law sponsored by the socialist government allowing civil marriage between gays.

But a senior government figure yesterday insisted that public officials "must apply the laws that government proposes and parliament approves".

Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, the head of the Pontifical Council on the Family, denounced the legislation last week as "iniquitous" and called on civil servants not to perform homosexual wedding ceremonies even if it meant losing their jobs.

The law, which also allows homosexuals to adopt children, was forced through parliament by the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and has presented Pope Benedict XVI with the first major challenge of his papacy.

The Vatican's stand, and the hardline reputation of the new Pope, has encouraged opponents of gay marriage to stand firm against the measure.

The Bishop of Castellon, Juan Antonio Reig Pla, has even called for "civil disobedience" adding that "one has to obey God before man otherwise it will lead to a totalitarian state".

"If obeying the law comes before conscience, this leads to Auschwitz," said the Archbishop of Barcelona, Ricard Maria Carles.

Mayors from the centre-Right People's Party (PP) have already announced their decision to refuse to carry out homosexual marriages and they have been joined in their defiance by some local socialist leaders.

Some mayors have, however, put themselves beyond the pale with their extreme rhetoric.

The PP is to expel Lluis Fernando Caldentey, the mayor of Pontons in Catalonia, after he called gay marriage immoral and homosexuals "defective".

He said: "I have never seen two male dogs trying to make love, it is not natural."

Earlier this year the late Pope John Paul II criticised such government initiatives as making divorce and abortion easier, permitting stem cell research and reforming state funding of the Catholic Church.

Attempting to calm the row, the head of the PP, Mariano Rajoy, called his party members to order and listed 16 of his most influential mayors who will comply with the law on homosexual marriage.

But Mr Rajoy added: "There was no reason and nobody understands why Spain had to put itself at the vanguard in these matters. I don't think that anybody, and I am talking about the adoption of children by homosexuals, has stopped to think about the children's interests."

Although 80 per cent of Spaniards describe themselves as Catholic opinion polls show that most support homosexual marriage.

[Grendel9]

Well, at least ONE Spaniard has the right focus... the children!

[clee1]

Butt Bandits and Socialists...

They would be wise to quit pushing their luck.

[Puddleglum]

I suspect the socialists are going to sow the wind and reap the whirlwind on this issue.

[Sthitch]

Another reason to love Federalism.

[pa mom]

This reminds me of the debate over pro-life pharmacists refusing to fill prescriptions for the morning-after pill.

Like it or not, same-sex marriage is legal in Spain. But mayors who disagree should be free to refuse to do so. They should then refer the couple to someone who will perform the ceremony.

[bboop]

Haha, "I have never seen two male dogs mating." hahah. even the dogs don't do it.

[Lexington Green]

Your government or your God?

[pa mom]

LOL! Believe it or not, we had a dog that tried. Poor thing was so confused. He was a champion-blood dog and my parents had agreed to mate him once as part of the deal to buy him. Well, he wanted nothing to do with the bit--um, female dog! He tried to mount the other male there!

Poor thing could never live that down his whole life. He must have had a complex for all the ribbing he took. They neutered him soon thereafter--couldn't have helped his ego!

My introduction to homosexuality!

[SuziQ]

But Mr Rajoy added: "There was no reason and nobody understands why Spain had to put itself at the vanguard in these matters. I don't think that anybody, and I am talking about the adoption of children by homosexuals, has stopped to think about the children's interests."

Of course they haven't! They're more interested in having sex with whomever they wish, whenever they wish.

[little jeremiah]

Homosexual Agenda Ping.

Spain - swirling down the round hole. But there was a recent article about the Catholic Church in Spain standing up against "gay" marriage - IIRC if it was a statement from the Vatican or a Spanish bishop...

I would opine that it's time for heavy civil disobedience in Spain. Mass refusal to perform or authorize same sex marriages. Any polls about what the actual people think?

Let me know if you want on/off this pinglist.

[Slicksadick]

He said: "I have never seen two male dogs trying to make love, it is not natural."

Bad analogy, I've seen dogs humping legs a million times, does that make bestiality OK?

[Antoninus]

"If obeying the law comes before conscience, this leads to Auschwitz," said the Archbishop of Barcelona, Ricard Maria Carles.

Absolutely right. Let the persecutions begin. We're looking at our future playing out in Spain right now. We've got to head this homo-cr@p off at the pass ... right now!

Bump.

[pawdoggie]

I find it a little hard to believe that Spanish masculinity (machismo) and male honor (pun' d'honor) can withstand the double blows of the cowardly retreat from Iraq and homosexual "marriage", but then again who would have believed they'd be welcoming "moros" into their country to reverse the "reconquista".

[Nowhere Man]

Butt Bandits and Socialists...

They would be wise to quit pushing their luck.

True, forget Franco, if they don't stop "pressing their luck," they're going to awaken "The Whammy" and he is gonna be ticked.



I believe in loving the sinner but hating the sin, but the homosexual lobby has gotten away with so much, they need to be taken down several pegs by "The Whammy" and I think it is coming.

[pa mom]

It does say in the article that "most" agree with gay marriage. For whatever that's worth!

[clee1]

Love the sinner, hate the sin: I can buy that.

However, in this case the sinner is actively promoting the expansion and acceptance of the sin itself.

Doesn't that equate to Satan's work?

[BlackElk]

May God grant Spain another Francisco Franco who will know what to do! We have trodden this ground previously in the late 1930s against the Spanish "Republic." Worked out very well then. It can work out well again.

[PetroniusMaximus]

Between this, and the way the Episcopal Church hierarchy comes down in priests objecting to homosexual marriage, I think we are seeing the pattern for the future.

There will be increasing demonization, persecution and marginalization of those who refuse to bow before and give tribute to the secular god of homosexuality.

[Salvation]

BTTT!

God will be the judge.

[Nowhere Man]

Love the sinner, hate the sin: I can buy that.

However, in this case the sinner is actively promoting the expansion and acceptance of the sin itself.

Doesn't that equate to Satan's work?

I do agree with you. I believe in loving the sinner and as Jesus said, "he without sin, cast the first stone." What a lot of our leftist opponents miss is that we must fight against thr sin itself and there is room for redemption. They also forget the rest of the story where Jesus said, "go and sin no more." I know all of us being human, many of us will "fall off the wagon" from time to time, but as I always said when that happens, "it's time to get back on again." I do agree with the majority that it is playing into the hands of Satan in promoting all of this. I know there will always be people out there that will not change, but personally, they should not foist it on all of us, just keep it in your home (like we all should) and just leave the rest of us alone.

It seems like that if they do not get homosexual marriage, they get all weird and act like they are being forced to ride in the back of the bus. I can see their point if they are forced to ride in the back of the bus, get denied jobs (provided they have the qualifications), own property, and so on, or worse, put into boxcars and shoved in to drown in the Ohio River, but I don't see that here, yet if we don't kowtow to every demand, they act like we are going to do that.

I mean if they are not happy, then they should go to an island, find their own nation and enact all those laws they want while leaving the rest of us alone. I don't want to force anyone to leave but as the saying goes, "if you're not happy where you are," then I'm sure there are other places you can go to be happy.