Portuguese Glassmaker Sells Phallic Crystal...Virgin Mary?

This crystal figurine of the Virgin Mary manufactured by Atlantis, one of the premier glass manufacturers in Portugal, would feel right at home in the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Oklahoma, wouldn't it?

(oregon expat via neatorama)

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Oklahoma Catholics Upset About Jesus Christ's Abs [tr]

Portugal One Signature Away from Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage

The signature of Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva is all that stands in the way of Portugal becoming the sixth European country to legalize same-sex marriage after the Constitutional Court approved the measure on Thursday.

 Euro News reports: "[Silva] sent it to the country’s top court last month, after expressing doubts over whether it was constitutional. But the tribunal’s president Rui Moura Ramos explained why no problems were found with the proposal. While it does not fit the traditional concept of marriage, as outlined in the constitution, he said this concept is open and can evolve. Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva has 20 days to either veto the legislation or sign it into law. If it is ratified, it would come into effect just ahead of a visit to the staunchly Roman Catholic country by Pope Benedict XVI."

The legislature is thought to have enough votes to override a veto from Silva.

Massive Cristiano Ronaldo Erection Rises in Madrid

Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was honored with a statue 10 meters tall in Madrid yesterday:

"Residents living near the Plaza de Ramales, a quiet square in a western residential area of the Spanish capital, woke yesterday morning to find the streets adorned with green and red confetti (the colours of the Portuguese flag) along with an imposing statue of Cristiano Ronaldo. As reported by Spanish sports daily Marca, the statue of the world's most expensive player is 10 metres in height and silver in colour, featuring the player standing over a football. The Plaza de Ramales was renamed the 'Praça de Ronaldo' for the duration of the day."

The statue was reportedly erected by Nike, for a promotion.

 

In other Ronaldo news, the footballer recently held a shirtless meet and greet with top-ranking Formula 1 race car drivers.

 

 
The Armani underwear model has also been showing support for his hometown, the resort island of Madeira, in Portugal, where flash floods have killed more than 40 people.

Dramatic footage of the floods, AFTER THE JUMP...

Pope Says Gays Endanger Humanity

In a statement linked to the Portuguese parliament's recent approval of marriage equality, Pope Benedict says that ignoring the difference between the sexes is an attack on creation, the AFP reports:

"Creatures, including humans, 'can be protected or endangered', the pope, 82, told the Vatican diplomatic corps in a traditional January address focusing mainly on environmental issues.' One such attack comes from laws or proposals which, in the name of fighting discrimination, strike at the biological basis of the difference between the sexes,' he said, citing 'certain countries in Europe or North and South America'. Portugal's parliament last Friday approved plans to legalise gay marriage, and a final vote could occur before a visit by the pope in May. Also last week, two men became the first homosexual couple to legally marry in Latin America, in the southern Argentine province of Ushuaia. 'Freedom cannot be absolute,' the pontiff said. 'For man, the path to be taken cannot be determined by caprice or wilfulness, but must rather correspond to the structure willed by the Creator,' he said."

Portugal's Parliament Approves Same-Sex Marriage

Portugal's parliament has approved a same-sex marriage bill, the AP reports:

"The Socialist government's bill won the support of all left-of-center parties Friday. Right-of-center parties opposed the change and argued it should be put to a national referendum. The proposed law now goes to conservative President Anibal Cavaco Silva who can ratify or veto it, but a veto can be overturned by Parliament. Its approval would make Portugal the sixth European country to allow same-sex marriages. Prime Minister Jose Socrates said the measure is part of his effort to modernize Portugal. Two years ago his government lifted Portugal's ban on abortion."

Unfortunately, the parliament also rejected a bill that would have allowed gay couples to adopt.

Portugal Poised to Pass Marriage Equality

A vote on Friday is likely to usher in marriage equality in the heavily-Catholic nation of Portugal, AFP reports:

"With the governing Socialists and other left-wing parties enjoying a strong majority, the new law is likely to sail through the first reading debate and gain final approval before a visit by Pope Benedict XVI, due in Portugal in May. In contrast to Spain, where the lead-up to the legalisation of gay marriage in 2005 brought hundreds of thousands of demonstrators onto the streets, the bill in Portugal has provoked only muted opposition even from the right. While normally vocal on the role of marriage and the family in society, the Catholic Church has refused to mobilise on a subject which, according to Lisbon's Cardinal Patriarch Jose Policarpo, is "parliament's responsibility". "I think the Portuguese people have learnt one of the fundamental tenets of democracy: respect for the rights of the individual," Miguel Vale de Almeida, Portugal's first openly-gay lawmaker who was elected in September, told AFP. Vale de Almeida, who is the Socialists' pointman on the legislation, said there is now a political majority in favour of gay marriage and that it is "too simplistic to link Catholicism and conservatism."

Portugal would join Spain, The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Belgium in allowing gay couples to marry.

Previously...
Portugal Marriage Equality Bill Likely to Pass [tr]