This vile bigot just doesn't get it. There is no mandate or law ordering procreation, certainly NOT in civil marriage. If that is the primary reason to ban equal civil marriage, then he would have to support a ban on women beyond child-bearing years from marriage as well as those who are infertile or choose not to have children. Civil marriage is about the love and commitment of two people and that has been recognised already by ten countries and another, Denmark, will legalise it in June. Religion plays no part in a civil marriage ceremony the last time I attended one and certainly no admonition to procreate. Marriage has been redefined over and over, as evidenced by the introduction of civil marriage, a recent phenomenon in the UK in the 19th century and isn't traditional marriage as some religious nutters try to imply. Divorce wasn't permitted until civil marriage came along and changed it. Same-sex couples marrying haven't redefined or changed anything. It hasn't prevented heterosexuals from marrying or procreating. All it has done has expanded civil marriage to include gay people, nothing more. I'd like to know who these "many gay people" are who are content with civil partnerships. Just because there may be a few doesn't mean they represent the entire gay population. Does he think we're that stupid? I'm sick and tired of these religious bigots interfering in civil matters and in our lives and government. The catholic hierarchy is hardly in a position to make moral pronouncements given it's almost two millenia old tradition of paedophilia, misogyny and subjugation of native peoples in Latin America and annihilation of Jews in Spain during the Inquisition. He seems to have forgotten what the Catholic Emancipation law is all about. It's a pity it was ever enacted.