Today, the UK Parliament is holding its second reading of a bill which will legalize same-sex marriage (live updates). It's a bill which will pass today despite a revolt from some Tories, since both Labor and the Liberal Democrats support it. (It will then go to committee, to be brought back possibly amended for its third and final vote later this year). The French National Assembly is now considering some 8000 amendments to a marriage equality bill they preliminarily passed a few days ago. It, too, will pass as the sponsoring Socialist government holds an absolute majority. By next year marriage equality should be law in France, England, Wales and possibly Scotland.
To put it bluntly Pope Benedict soon will be looking at a homosexual agenda stretching from the northern tip of Norway to the straits of Gibraltar. Even the Italian peninsula might not be safe much longer; even there opinion has turned:
In its first report on homosexual issues in Italy, Istat, the official statistics institute, found last year that more than 60 per cent of people supported equal rights for gays, although only 20 per cent would back their right to adopt.
Perhaps the Pope should move the Vatican to Uganda.
While they have yet to pass a "kill the gays" bill, it seems a safe bet that Benedict would be safe from encounters with married couples of the same sex on the streets of Kampala for the rest of his reign.
Of course, there's still the threat that a visiting Boy Scout might help him across the street.
10:00 AM PT: From the debate (vote is schedule for 7:00 PM local time)
5:42pm
Mr Cameron, speaking in a last minute televised statement recorded in 10 Downing Street less than two hours before MPs vote on a Bill to legalise same sex marriage, insisted he had always been "vocal" in his support for the move.
"Today is an important day. I am a strong believer in marriage. It helps people commit to each other and I think it is right that gay people should be able to get married too," he said.
"This is, yes, about equality. But it is also about making our society stronger.
"I know there are strong views on both side of the argument - I accept that. But I think this is an important step forward for our country."
11:47 AM PT: UK Parliament votes overwhelmingly to support marriage equality