Ireland's decision to legalize gay marriage had been criticized by one of the Vatican's senior officers.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, said the legalization of gay marriage in Ireland does not only defeat Christian principles, but it also defeats the principles of humanity itself, according to The Guardian.
Parolin, the pope's second in command of the Roman Catholic Church's hierarchy, said at a conference in Rome that he is "deeply saddened," although he said the reality of gender issues now significantly abounds.
The majority of Ireland's voters voted in a referendum last week that would soon allow gay and lesbian couples to marry there. It is the first country in the world to favor a change in the constitution fully supporting marriage equality.
Dublin's Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said in a related report by the Independent UK that the results of the Ireland referendum is a reflection and "affirmation of the views of the young generation, which need a reality check from no less than the church."
Ireland's decision prompted other European countries like Italy to consider pursuing civil unions. Italy, which lies near the borders of the Vatican, has some 88 percent of its population belonging to the Roman Catholic Church.
