UK Wedding News
18/10/2013
The highest court in France has ruled that mayors cannot refuse to hold same-sex marriage ceremonies on the grounds that it goes against their beliefs.
The ruling comes after a group of mayors challenged a law legalising same-sex marriage that came into force in May.
However, the country's Constitutional Court rejected the group's argument that the law infringed their freedom of conscience.
Following the legalisation of gay marriage, a series of mass protests erupted across France. Opinion polls have previously suggested that almost half of the population oppose same-sex marriage.
Today, in a ruling, the court said it was not unconstitutional for public officials to be required to officiate at same-sex marriages – regardless of personal objections.
It added that the French Government did not include an 'opt-out' clause in the law "to assure the law is applied by its agents and to guarantee the proper functioning and neutrality of public service."
"Freedom of conscience is not violated by officiating at weddings," it added.
Following the ruling, Franck Meyer, a spokesman for the group of seven mayors is quoted by the BBC as saying they will now be taking their case to the European Court of Human Rights, "because we are local elected representatives and we have a right to express the diversity of opinion in French society."
In May, France became the 14th country worldwide - and the ninth in Europe - to legalise gay marriage. Since then, some 900 same-sex couples have married.
(JP/IT)
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Mayors Cannot Block Gay Marriage – France
The highest court in France has ruled that mayors cannot refuse to hold same-sex marriage ceremonies on the grounds that it goes against their beliefs.
The ruling comes after a group of mayors challenged a law legalising same-sex marriage that came into force in May.
However, the country's Constitutional Court rejected the group's argument that the law infringed their freedom of conscience.
Following the legalisation of gay marriage, a series of mass protests erupted across France. Opinion polls have previously suggested that almost half of the population oppose same-sex marriage.
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Today, in a ruling, the court said it was not unconstitutional for public officials to be required to officiate at same-sex marriages – regardless of personal objections.
It added that the French Government did not include an 'opt-out' clause in the law "to assure the law is applied by its agents and to guarantee the proper functioning and neutrality of public service."
"Freedom of conscience is not violated by officiating at weddings," it added.
Following the ruling, Franck Meyer, a spokesman for the group of seven mayors is quoted by the BBC as saying they will now be taking their case to the European Court of Human Rights, "because we are local elected representatives and we have a right to express the diversity of opinion in French society."
In May, France became the 14th country worldwide - and the ninth in Europe - to legalise gay marriage. Since then, some 900 same-sex couples have married.
(JP/IT)
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