[originaltext] Despite the strong opposition from the Roman Catholic Church,

Despite the strong opposition from the Roman Catholic Church, Spain has followed Belgium and the Netherlands in passing a law allowing homosexuals to marry. The new Spanish law will give gay and lesbian couples the same rights to adopt children as people in heterosexual marriages. There was applause from the public gallery as the Lower House of Parliament endorsed the legislation overturning a vote against it last week in the Upper House.
   The Vatican has denounced the Spanish legislation and said Catholics have a duty to oppose it. But Michel L. Sanchez, president of the Triangle Foundation which represents gays and lesbians welcomed the new law. "This is a great day, because the equality has come completely to Spain. And there are not any law(s) that discriminate at this moment in the Spain gay and lesbian people. For that it is really a nice day."