PRI faces setback after gay marriage proposal

The Catholic Church has expressed its disapproval of the initiatives proposed by President Enrique Peña Nieto -legalize gay marriage and allow gay couples to adopt- leading pro-families advocates to defend traditional marriage by voting against the ruling party PRI in some states.

On May 17, President Enrique Peña Nieto welcomed a constitutional reform to recognize gay marriage and amendments to the Federal Civil Code to allow gay adoption, which was rejected not only by the Catholic Church but by other religious institutions.

On Monday, the winning candidate for Aguascalientes governorship, Martin Orozco for the conservative National Action Party (PAN) acknowledged that the initiatives in favor of gay community announced by Peña Nieto helped his campaign.

Also the bishop of Veracruz, Luis Felipe Gallardo, said that the defeat of PRI in that state is due to the president's proposal, since the majority of Mexicans are Catholic and do not accept same-sex marriage.

Church authorities confirmed that in some parishes, priests urged their parishioners to reason their vote and to take into account the negative effects of gay marriage and adoption. Children are not "pets", Catholic ministers said to members of their communities.

Voting held on Sunday in 12 states across Mexico showed the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), leading in only five states. The election results are expected to indicate the outcome of 2018’s presidential election.