Gay marriage bill approved in Spanish lower house, denounced by Vatican News
Gay marriage bill approved in Spanish lower house, denounced by Vatican

[JURIST] The lower house of the Spanish Parliament [official website, in English] has approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriages, a measure sponsored by Spain's ruling Socialist Party. The bill, passed Thursday, now moves to the Senate [official website, in English], where the Socialists have strong support. Adoption of the bill reflects significant changes in Spain, where 80 percent of the population considers themselves Catholic, although half of that number do not follow Church teachings. The Vatican immediately denounced the bill as "iniquitous" and urged Catholics to resist it, even at the risk of losing their jobs; incoming pope Benedict XVI [official website] issued a stern letter against homosexual unions [text] in 2003 while head of the Vatican's watchdog Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. The Spanish Bishops Conference [official website in Spanish] has also issued a statement condemning the bill [pre-passage press release in Spanish]. AP has more. BBC News has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Egypt President Anwar Sadat visits Israel

On November 19, 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat visited Israel, becoming the first leader of an Arab nation to officially visit. Two years later, President Sadat became the first Arab leader to recognize Israel by signing the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty. Read President Sadat's address to the Israeli Knesset.

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On November 19, 1794, US Chief Justice John Jay and British foreign secretary Lord Grenville signed a treaty in Philadelphia under which British forces pulled out of the disputed Northwest Territory. Review the Jay Treaty.