Court allows same-sex unions

National Catholic Reporter, July 4, 2003 by Dennis Coday

OTTAWA -- Catholic priests officiating at the marriages of same-sex couples can expect to be suspended from their duties, Archbishop Marcel Gervais of Ottawa, former president of the Canadian bishops' conference said in a statement June 23.

The Ontario Court of Appeal June 10 cleared the way for same-sex marriages in the province by declaring that the constitutional definition of marriage must be changed to a union between "two persons" rather than "between a man and a woman."

As dozens of gay and lesbian couples rushed to get married or applied for marriage licenses, the federal government announced it would not appeal the court's ruling.