Reuters is reporting that  France’s new Socialist government is to legalize marriage and adoption for same-sex couples, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Friday, reflecting a shift in public attitudes in the majority Catholic nation. President Francois Hollande, who took office last month, had pledged to legalize gay marriage and adoption during his election campaign but had given no time frame.

Reuters continues to note that Hollande’s Socialists won an absolute majority in parliamentary elections two weeks ago.The conservative UMP party, which had opposed the measure under former president Nicolas Sarkozy, can do little to stop it.  Earlier in the day, the junior minister for families Dominique Bertinotti told French daily Le Parisien that a law on gay marriage and adoption would be passed within a year.

The statement from prime minister’s office did not confirm the time frame, but asserted a law would be implemented. Read more