French Catholics criticised a constitutional court judgment denying local officials the right to opt out of conducting same-sex marriages.

Antoine Renard, president of France’s National Federation of Catholic Family Associations, charged that the court was operating under political pressure in issuing its decision.

“This ruling could have dramatic consequences for religious freedom both here and abroad,” he said. “It also suggests the French Constitution is old-fashioned and needs verification.”

Renard’s comments came as representatives of 20,000 French mayors prepared a series of appeals against the court’s judgment on October 18 that, in effect, rejected calls for a conscience clause to be added to France’s same-sex marriage law.