Catholic Church vows to fight law on gay marriage

The Catholic Church in Scotland will “strenuously oppose” moves to legalise same-sex marriage, its most senior member told politicians last night.

Cardinal Keith O’Brien claimed that allowing gay people to marry would be a “direct attack” on the institution after the Scottish Government launched a consultation on the issue.

Cardinal O’Brien also suggested that supporters of the move were guilty of an attempt to “rewrite human nature” in a homily delivered to politicians in Edinburgh, saying that the family and marriage were “built on the union between a man and a woman”.

His comments were met with anger by some MSPs, and Green leader Patrick Harvie, who is himself gay, said that the remarks were an attempt to “suppress” the gay community and “absurd”.