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04. 11. 09. - 16:00

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04. 11. 09. - 16:00

Bishop opposes homosexual partnership draft

By William Green

St. Pölten Bishop Klaus Küng said yesterday (Tues) he opposed the justice ministry’s draft legislation on homosexual partnerships, according to Kathpress.

Küng, who is often publicly referred to as a "family bishop," said it would be a "mistake" to give homosexual partnerships some of the legal characteristics of marriage, but he added he was gratified the draft did not legislate either for registration ceremonies at public offices nor to give homosexual couples the right to adopt children.

The bishop, however, said he feared that the ban on ceremonies at public offices would often be ignored "in practice."

Küng claimed that existing law gave same-sex partnerships sufficient security. Giving them the same rights as married couples, he stressed, would be "the wrong path and contribute to disorientation."

Austrian Times

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