Marriage is next, it's inevitable. The opposition is fading; states have legalized it; the numbers show that more people are in favor of it than those who are not. This debate is almost over, lets not add any more fuel to the heated arguments that have been repeated time and time again. Although opponents will argue, saying that the pope okaying same-sex civil unions, doesn't mean that same-sex marriage will be next (Slippery slope fallacy), the truth is, there's more than enough sufficient evidence to prove it.

Judging by the growth of secular modernism in Europe, an audience which the current Pope is aiming to promote Catholicism towards, I believe that eventually same-sex marriage will be allowed within the Roman Catholic Church.

Now I have a PhD in Applied Religious and Social Studies, which makes me something of an expert on the matter. It is clear that the new Pope is progressive on a wide range of social matters and is trying to reduce the popular association the Catholic Church has with conservative stubbornness. We can already see evidence of this as he has openly reached out towards atheists and other faiths, likewise he has expressed a desire to diminish the hostile relations of the Church and homosexuals.

Thus with his approval of same-sex unions, many commentators see this as the first step on a road which will eventually lead to the acceptance of same-sex marriage.