Vatican disappointed by Irish gay marriage vote
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, has called the referendum in Ireland which legalized gay marriage, as a "defeat for humanity". The Roman Catholic Church condemns same-sex marriage and regards homosexual relations as a sin. But, Pope Francis was perceived to be more open minded when he said that if a gay has goodwill, then he is nobody to judge him.
In 1983, Senator Norris unsuccessfully challenged the laws about homosexuality in the SC. In 1988, Norris argued in the European Court of Human Rights that Irish Laws were incompatible with the European Convention of Human Rights. The court said that criminalisation of male homosexuality violated Article 8 of the Convention. In 1993, the Republic of Ireland decriminalised homosexuality.
Gay couples were provided with a range of rights under new laws with effect from January 1, 2011. The legally recognised civil ceremonies came into effect from April 2011. The ceremony formalised gay relationships in the eyes of the society and law both. The couples were also to be given same general treatment as spouses under tax and law codes.
Those males who have had anal or oral sex with any other male, have a life ban regarding blood donation imposed on them by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service.
Campaigns started in Ireland in order to sway the mass opinion for the upcoming referendum on Gay Marriage Equality. Tensions were increasing as some "Yes" camp insiders felt that they had wasted time and had not appealed more strongly to the public. The "No" Camp supported by the Catholic Church, wanted people to vote a "NO" in the referendum in the name of religion.
Opinion polls suggested that Ireland may become the first country in the world to support gay marriage, through a referendum on 21 May. Since 2011, the Irish law allowed gay couples to be united in a civil ceremony. The Church wants a "NO" vote but opinion polls suggest the popularity of a "YES" vote among the masses for the referendum.
Ireland has voted in huge numbers in favor of gay marriage, making it the world's first country to legalize gay marriage. Out of an electorate of more than 3 million, 1,201,607 said Yes to gay marriage while 734,300 voters said No. Thereby, the referendum was passed with 62% of votes in favor.
