SPAIN: The Spanish Catholic Church and opposition Popular Party (PP) are supporting a huge demonstration later today to protest the proposed legalisation of same-sex marriages.
They will be led by Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco, the archbishop of Madrid, leading churchmen from across the country and many senior PP officials, including Ana Botella, the wife of former prime minister José Maria Aznar.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators are being bussed in from across the country to support the demonstration. The diocese of Granada alone has chartered 200 coaches to transport some 1,200 passengers, and hundreds of others are expected to converge on the capital.
The organisers expect a crowd of up to half a million people will march through Madrid's main thoroughfare from the Plaza de Cibeles to the Puerta del Sol.
This is the fourth major right-wing demonstration in Spain in as many weeks - three of them in Madrid and one in Salamanca - all protesting against the Socialist government's policies.
The promise to legalise homosexual marriages was one of the most controversial issues in the Socialist election manifesto, and it has taken them just 15 months to keep their promise.
The bill, which received its first reading in the lower house of parliament in April, is expected to pass through the senate next week, to receive its second reading in the lower house on June 30th and to become law the following week in time for gay pride celebrations.
The Spanish episcopal conference is outraged by the bill and has threatened to continue its protests, even after it becomes law, in a fight to have it repealed.
"We are facing a situation which is unique in the history of humanity. Nothing like this has ever happened in over 2,000 years," said Jesuit theologian Juan Antonio Martinez Camino, spokesman for the bishops.
But not all the bishops agree with the protests. Cardinal Carlos Amigo, the archbishop of Seville, was among those who said they would not be travelling to Madrid. He said it was up to the faithful to form their own opinions. "They are sufficiently mature to make up their minds," he said.
A Catholic think tank, the John XXIII theological association, accused the bishops of creating friction among the faithful for their own political ends.
"The bishops are creating a mood of tension against the government. The conscientious faithful are not going to accept the bishops treating them like children," it said.
The gay community says it is determined not to be provoked into confrontation with the protesters.
Arnaldo Gancedo, of the Madrid branch of the federation of gays, lesbians and transsexuals, warned his fellow members to steer clear of trouble and stay away from Chueca, a well-known gay area of the city.