PARLIAMENT legalised gay marriage yesterday, defying conservatives and clergy who opposed making traditionally Roman Catholic Spain the third country to allow same-sex unions nationwide.

In a dramatic shift from traditional policy, the Catholic Church in Spain has said it supports the use of condoms to prevent the spread of Aids.

Spain’s socialist government today approved a bill to legalise same-sex marriages, putting the predominantly Roman Catholic country on course to become only the third country to recognise gay marriages.