The bishops’ conference of the European Union nations has issued a statement questioning a European court decision that requires member-nations to recognize same-sex marriages.
The Commission of the Episcopates of the European Union (COMECE) said that the decision—which requires EU countries to recognize marriages contracted in other EU countries, even if their own laws do not allow such recognition for same-sex unions—undermines the right of member-states to set their own marriage laws.
COMECE noted that the court decision has an “impact upon questions that are at the core of national competence.” The statement from the bishops’ commission observed with concern that this decision could “give rise to anti-European sentiments in Member States.”