The Catholic Church has backed unionist politicians’ moves to block legalised same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland.
A Sinn Fein motion to introduce same-sex marriage legislation is likely to be defeated in the Northern Ireland assembly next week.
Unionist parties will introduce a “petition of concern” against the move.
Under the rules of the Stormont assembly, legislation cannot pass if the representatives of one community refuse to support a new bill, thus ensuring that no one section of the divided populace can impose laws on the other.
Before the vote, the Catholic hierarchy wrote to every assembly member to urge them to reject the bill.