Writes the staff of the magazine:
Beginning June 7, marriage in Portugal will be defined as a “contract between two people wishing to form families through the full communion of life.”
Prime Minister Jose Socrates, a Social Democrat, promised to legalize gay marriage if his party was returned to power. Lawmakers approved the bill in February.
President Anibal Cavaco Silva reluctantly signed the gay marriage bill into law on May 17, saying he was only doing so because Social Democrats were certain to overturn a veto.
“There are moments in the life of a country when ethical responsibility has to be placed above one's personal convictions,” he said in a televised address to the nation.
The president initially attempted to derail the legislation, forwarding four out of five of the bill's articles to the nation's Constitutional Court. He said he did so because he doubted the bill's constitutionality. But the court's majority agreed that the four articles were constitutional.
An article that bans married gay and lesbian couples from adopting children was not forwarded by the president to the court and the prohibition remains in the final law.
During a visit to Portugal as the president considered the issue, Pope Benedict called on Roman Catholics to oppose gay marriage. He called the institution “insidious and dangerous.”
Portugal joins five European countries – Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway and most recently Sweden – in legalizing gay marriage.
Good news!
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