Pope peeved by Spanish gay marriages
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
Like several other European countries, including Germany and France, some regions in Spain already allow "registered cohabitation," which gives same-sex couples some of the same benefits under the law as marriage, according to the Gay and Lesbian Intergroup of the European Parliament. Belgium and the Netherlands allow gay couples to wed, and Finland and Sweden allow "registered partnerships," which confer nearly the same rights as matrimony, the group said.