French Cardinal Warns Of Violence

French Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois yesterday warned the government that legalizing same-sex marriage will lead to violence.

Vingt-Trois, the archbishop of Paris, said the difference between the sexes was a basic human trait and denying it by legalizing marriage and adoption for homosexuals would weaken society's ability to manage its differences peacefully. "This is the way a violent society develops," he told the spring meeting of the French bishops' conference. "Society has lost its capacity of integration and especially its ability to blend differences in a common project." Vingt-Trois accused the government of rushing the law through parliament without sufficient public debate. "Forcing it through can simplify things for a while," he said. "To avoid paralyzing political life when there are grave economic and social decisions to take, it would have been more reasonable and simple to not have started this process." Opponents of gay marriage have staged three large protests in Paris, with over half a million demonstrators at their height. The last one in March ended in scuffles with police.

On Saturday the leader of France's anti-gay Manif Pour Tous declared that "Hollande wants blood and he will get it." (Via Towleroad)