France’s largest Protestant church has celebrated its first wedding of same-sex pastors, authorities said.

Emeline Daude and Agnes Kauffmann, both in their early thirties, tied the knot in the southern city of Montpellier on Saturday.

The United Protestant Church of France (EPUdF) has about 250,000 members.

While heterosexual marriages have long been the norm for Protestant pastors, the church synod’s 2015 decision to also allow same-sex unions among clergy remains controversial, and gives officials wide discretion on how to apply the rule.

In general, Protestant doctrine does not consider marriage to be a sacrament, but the church does give its blessing in civil ceremonies to both heterosexual and homosexual couples.

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210726-in-french-first-same-sex-protestant-pastors-get-married