Spain Same-Sex Marriage Law Delayed in Senate after Massive Catholic Rally

Spain's Senate has rejected on Wednesday a bill on same-sex marriage proposed by the liberal Socialist government. The upper house voted 131 to 119 to throw out the bill, according to BBC News. The massive rally against the legalisation of same-sex union through central Madrid sponsored by a Catholic pro-family group last Saturday is said to have influenced the decision of the Senate.

Even though the latest move appears to be encouraging, local newspaper El Pais Spain suggested that the non-binding decision will not prevent the same-sex legislation being approved by the Parliament on 30th June. The Parliament has approved the bill earlier this spring in a 183-136 vote, with six abstentions.

Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards, including top bishops and cardinals, were involved in the march last week. Banners that were seen throughout the demonstration read: "Family = Man + Woman" and "A mother and father for every child".

Catholic bishops have strongly condemned the same-sex marriage proposals as a threat to family values and the fabric of Spanish society. The strong outcry from Spain's Catholic Church was backed by other counterparts across Europe and the world.

The Archbishop of Madrid expressed the urgency of the declining situation to the Church, saying, "If it is the State itself which establishes a law which ignores the essence of marriage, then the damage it causes to the true family, to children and society will be incalculable."

The Bishops' Conference, which was held last week stated that the gay marriage bill was the biggest challenge to the Church and its values in 2,000 years.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialist’s government drafted the bill last year as one of the liberal agendas alongside with proposals to loosen divorce laws, and the abortion law among others. Zapatero’s liberal administration has raised tension with the powerful Roman Catholic Church.

Currently, Belgium and the Netherlands are the only countries in the world with legalised "gay marriage". Spain is very likely to be the third to join the list and it is going to be the first Catholic-majority country in the world to have such liberal legislation on homosexuality. 94 percent of Spain’s 40 million-strong population are Roman Catholics.