CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday asked the country's National Assembly to discuss same-sex marriage during its next term beginning in January, citing Pope Francis' comments this week supporting civil unions for same-sex couples.
The Pope's comments were the clearest language yet he has used on the rights of gay people. Gay marriage is not currently legal in heavily Roman Catholic Venezuela, despite laws or court decisions in other South American countries such as Argentina, Brazil and Colombia legalizing same-sex marriage.