“The first page of the bible, which says that marriage unites a man and a
woman, has more force and truth, crossing cultures and centuries, than
incidental or transient decisions made by a parliament. This is a choice of
the government with which we do not agree.”
As mayor of the capital, Mr Delanoe said he was “obviously” ready to
perform same-sex marriage ceremonies and had already received several
requests to do so.
Bishop Dominique Rey, the Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon, has demanded a popular vote
on gay marriage as the conflict escalates unto the worst split between
church and state for over a decade.
“A referendum must be held to allow a real debate and to make sure the
government is not in the grip of the lobbies,” he said. “A
majority of the population agrees with the traditional view of marriage.”