The Catholic Church in Scotland has branded gay marriage a "dangerous social experiment" and dismissed homosexual relationships as nothing more than "friendships" as the SNP agreed to push ahead with same-sex unions. Ministers in Edinburgh finally agreed the framework for legislation on Wednesday in a move described by some campaigners as a "proud day for Scotland". But a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland said: "The Scottish Government is embarking on a dangerous social experiment on a massive scale.
"The church looks much further than the short-term electoral time-scales of politicians. We strongly suspect that time will show the Church to have been completely correct in explaining that same-sex sexual relationships are detrimental to any love expressed within profound friendships. However, in the short term and long term the Church does not see same-sex marriage as an appropriate and helpful response to same-sex attraction."
The Catholic Church attracted criticism earlier on Wednesday as it emerged that the new Archbishop of Glasgow had suggested a young Labour MP, David Cairns, died because he was gay.