Irish Catholic Bishops ramp up opposition to gay marriage as referendum nears...

The Catholic Church has ramped up its official opposition to the marriage referendum with no less than six of the country's bishops making public statements arguing against any change to the Constitution.

The most prominent was Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam, the most senior prelate in the west of Ireland. But mass-goers in the dioceses of Limerick, Kerry, Waterford and Lismore, Kilmore and Clonfert also heard yesterday from their bishops, who outlined their reasons for saying No to the referendum proposal.

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