Pope Benedict - Protests In French Cities Against Gay Marriage Reuters

Sat Nov 17, 2012 5:13pm EST

* Organisers claim 200,000 protestors with Paris; police point out 70,000

* Pope Benedict conveys to French bishops church's tone of voice must be heard

By G rard Bon

PARIS, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Tens of countless people, registered by means of Catholic church leaders, marched in metropolitan areas throughout France upon Saturday to protest in opposition to authorities plans to legalise same-sex marriage.

Demonstrators, holding banners along with slogans like "don't contact civil marriage", "all created in the partnership of a dude as well as a woman" along with "one mother + just one mummy for many children", took towards the roadway throughout Paris, Lyon, Marseille as well as other major towns.

The organisation behind the particular protests, known as "Demos for All" in representation on the "marriage intended for all" contact of gay-marriage campaigners, states that your Socialist government's reforms, which often polls reveal have well-known support, would certainly threaten "major plus hazardous upheaval".

The organisers stated 200,000 persons shown from the French capital, vary a police estimate of 70,000.

France's National Assembly as a result of begin analyzing the offered legislations enabling same-sex spousal relationship in January, having a vote expected throughout mid-2013. It might grant making gay newlyweds the ideal to innovate babies although not to utilize helped procreation methods.

Recent polls exhibit nearly all French men and women support homosexual marriage, however possibly not the ideal regarding homosexual families to adopt.

France's best Catholic prelate, Paris Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, earlier this calendar month criticised the costa rica government intended for forging ahead with the projects at any given time should the land experienced imperative economical concerns.

Pope Benedict told French bishops browsing the particular Vatican on Saturday to not ever often be "afraid" of dispersion Christian teachings.

"In the important debates about society, your thoughts from the church must create once more heard often with determination," he / she said.

The Vatican pledged this calendar month not to prevent preventing efforts to be able to "erase" the particular lucky role of heterosexual marriage, which in turn that called "an accomplishment connected with civilisation".

Jean-Francois Cope, who seem to is actually expecting to get boss on the competitors centre-right UMP party with a great interior tournament with ex-Prime Minister Francois Fillon on Sunday, provided some sort of mail involving help support for you to your protesters.

While he or she claimed he or she wouldn't normally subscribe to them, different elected UMP officials plus mayors had been amid demonstrators within Paris.

Lyon Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, who's stated union seemed to be outlined at the actual really start of the Bible while made by God that will sign up for man in addition to woman, ended up being among all around 10,000 protesters in that , city, according in order to numbers on the organisers.

"I'm these similar to everyone else, such as Protestants, the Catholics, the Muslims, this philosophers, it's really a message to politicians so that a argument is sorted on this type of fundamental issue," he / she said, incorporating that will he or she had arrive while a "simple citizen".

The archbishop connected with Toulouse, Robert Le Gall, registered 10,000 there, reported by organisers. Police reported there have been 5,000.