Italy's highest administrative court has overturned a lower court's ruling that allowed cities to register the foreign marriages of gay and lesbian couples.

According to the AFP, cities from Rome to Naples and Milan had defied the government's ban on such unions by registering the legal marriages of gay couples which had taken place outside Italy's borders.

Last year, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano issued an order banning the practice.

“Let us be clear. Marriages between two people of the same sex is not contemplated under Italian law, therefore the transcriptions made by local mayors are illegal,” Alfano said in hailing the court's ruling.

The judge who issued the ruling was accused of basing his decision on his Catholic faith. The Roman Catholic Church, which plays an influential role in Italian politics, is publicly opposed to the legal recognition of gay relationships.

Earlier this month, the government introduced a gay-inclusive civil unions bill that is expected to become law despite the church's opposition.

(Related: Italy debates civil unions for gay couples.)