Pope Francis on Sunday expressed
support for Catholic bishops in Mexico who support “family and
life” amid a growing national debate over marriage rights for gay
and lesbian couples.
“I join willingly the bishops of
Mexico in supporting the efforts of the church and civil society in
favor of the family and of life, which at this time require special
pastoral and cultural attention worldwide,” Francis said during his
weekly mass.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of
people marched through Mexico City to protest against Mexican
President Enrique Pena Nieto's proposal to legalize same-sex marriage
throughout the nation. Currently, gay couples can only marry in
several states and Mexico City, despite a 2015 ruling from Mexico's
highest court which found that gay couples have a constitutional
right to marry.
At Saturday's march, organized by the
Roman Catholic group National Front for the Family, demonstrators
wore white and carried white balloons.
Several Catholic bishops backed the
rally, including Bishop Pedro Pablo Elizondo of Cancun, who recently
said that he's willing to go to prison to “defend the family,” if
necessary.