ITALY: Gay Marriage Ruling Due

Italy's Constitutional Court is expected to rule this week on an appeal from two gay couples who were denied the right to marry. The decision may come as soon as tomorrow. The Vatican has pressured politicians to keep the issue from coming to a vote, but a positive ruling from the nation's highest court could side-step legislative approval.

RELATED: Portugal's Constitutional Court signed off last week on a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. The president must now sign or veto the bill. If he vetoes it, Parliament is widely expected to simply pass it again, which, under Portugal's Constitution, forces presidential assent.

ALSO RELATED: Seven countries around the world presently offer full same-sex marriage rights: Canada, Spain, the Netherlands, South Africa, Belgium, Norway, and Sweden. Many other nations, most of them in western Europe, offer civil unions or domestic partnerships, often with nearly the same legal rights as opposite marriage.