SLOVENIA: Pope Endorses Marriage Repeal Effort

Agence France-Presse reports:

Pope Francis today urged Slovenian politicians to stand up for family values, four days before the country votes in a referendum on gay marriage.

Without explicitly mentioning the vote, Francis told a group of Slovenian pilgrims that he encouraged “everyone, especially those with public responsibility, to support the family, a structural reference point for the life of society.”

Slovenians go to the polls on Sunday to decide whether to implement or scrap a law allowing gay marriage which was adopted by parliament in the largely Catholic country in March.

The referendum follows a challenge by conservatives who gathered 40,000 signatures in a month for a petition for the issue to be put to a popular vote.

At least 20% of eligible voters must participate in the referendum for its result to be valid.