Mexico City mayor sues cardinal

MEXICO CITY, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard has sued the archbishop of Guadalajara for accusing him of bribing the country's Supreme Court to approve gay adoption.

Ebrard's lawsuit claims "moral damage" from Cardinal Juan Sandoval's allegations, the Guadalajara Reporter said. 

"It's very serious that a high-ranking member of a church tarnishes the Supreme Court," said Ebrard. "What this gentleman has said, he's going to have to prove."

Sandoval, the second-ranking Catholic prelate in the country, reacted quickly when the Supreme Court voted 9-2 that married homosexual couples have the same adoption rights as heterosexual ones. He charged Ebrard, a potential presidential candidate, and international gay-rights groups with giving justices "gifts".

Codise, a gay organization in Guadalajara, has also filed a complaint that Sandoval has incited hatred against minorities for using an offensive term for homosexuals while talking to the news media.

Gay and lesbian organizations plan a demonstration at noon Sunday outside the Guadalajara cathedral. At 5 p.m., they plan to form a human chain between the cathedral and the state government building to dramatize the separation of church and state. (www.upi.com)