(Buenos Aires, Argentina) Gay marriage is a big step closer to becoming law in Argentina.

The House of Deputies approved same-sex marriage by an ample margin Wednesday and sent the legislation for consideration in the Senate. President Cristina Fernandez has promised not to veto the measure if it reaches her desk.

Gay rights activist Esteban Paulon calls it historic – the first time a gay marriage initiative has been debated in a national legislature in Latin America.

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Amidst the discontent today's Lower House failed session aroused, several deputies addressed the press and stressed the Government's stance. The head of the Victory Front caucus in the Lower House Agustín Rossi assured President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's administration is not willing to accept the cheque tax law amendment but it is in favour of debating it. As for the same sex marriage debate, Rossi called for a special session to be held next Wednesday in order to discuss the controversial bill which allows it.

"We are calling for a new session to be held next week, on Wednesday at 10:00am with the only purpose of debating the same sex marriage," Rossi assured.

As regards this bill, the resolution which the Family and General Legislation committees have issued modifies the Civil Code and replaces the terms "man and woman" for general words implying no sex.

The discussion of this bill began last year, but was never able to be debated at the room. It is supported by the Argentine Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual and Transsexuals and the Argentine Homosexual Community.

A judge has annulled the marriage between two men in Buenos Aires last week, which marked the second time a gay couple in Argentina had legally tied the knot. capital, EFE reported.

Judge Felix Igarzabal ordered the annulment after agreeing that the marriage between Damian Bernath, 39, and Jorge Salazar Capon, 43, marriage violated the Civil Code requirement that marriage be the result of consent of "man and wife," according to a judicial spokesmen.

The judge ordered the marriage suspended and the briefly married couple to return their marriage license, until the matter is ultimately settled in court, said Florencia Kravetz, who is representing the couple, according to the Buenos Aires newspaper La Nacion

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Homosexual rights organisations in the Netherlands are planning more protests during Roman Catholic church services this Sunday. This follows demonstrations last weekend when several hundred gay protesters and sympathisers disrupted Mass at the cathedral in the southern city of Den Bosch.

The protest was directed at Father Luc Buyens, who refused to allow an openly gay Carnival prince to receive Communion.

But not all Catholic churches in the country have the same attitude. The small Old Catholic Church has progressive ideas on gay issues and it says Roman Catholic bishops should be more 'pragmatic'.

The Bishop of Den Bosch, Antoon Hurkmans, argues that homosexual men and women should not receive the sacrament as their lifestyle does not fit in with the teachings of the Roman Catholic faith.

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