Legalizing same-sex marriage could prove the final spark in inciting violence in economically frazzled France, the nation’s top Catholic bishop said Tuesday.
Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris, said to other bishops that the government’s push to expedite gay-marriage legislation despite the rising swell of opposition is a mistake. It’s a sign the society is ready to split, he said, as Newsmax reported.
The prelate’s comments came in context of Monday’s legislative decision to pass same-sex marriage laws weeks faster than initially planned, and absent full legislative debate, Newsmax reported.
“This is the way a violent society develops,” Cardinal Vingt-Trois said at the spring meeting of the French bishops conference, on Newsmax. “Society has lost its capacity of integration and especially its ability to blend differences in a common project.”
The signs are all there: Protests against gay marriage have escalated in recent days, he said. But the Socialist-led government is not listening — and that’s opening the doors to more forceful protest, he said on Newsmax. Adding to the problem is that the legislators are not giving full voice to the measure on the legislative floor, he said.
“Forcing it through can simplify things for a while,” he said, as Newsmax reported. “To avoid paralyzing political life when there are grave economic and social decisions to take, it would have been more reasonable and simple to not have started this process.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.