[JURIST] The French Cour de Cassation [official website, in French] held [judgment; press release, in French] Tuesday that same-sex marriages [JURIST news archive] are not valid under French law and that marriage can only be between a man and a woman. The case arose in 2004 when Stephane Charpin and Bertrand Charpentier were married [JURIST report], after which both a local court and intermediate appeals court ruled that the marriage was invalid. State lawyers argued that it was not an issue for the courts to decide, but rather was a question to be answered by parliament. Bloomberg has more.

The decision came on the same day that Pope Benedict XVI [official website] declared that the Catholic Church's stance against gay marriage is "non-negotiable." The pope also said that all Catholic politicians must oppose it, stating that they should "introduce laws inspired by values grounded in human nature." Reuters has more.