The Sunday ceremony, in which 60 gay couples were married, took place in San Juan's colonial district. Photo:

The Sunday ceremony, in which 60 gay couples were married, took place in San Juan's colonial district. Photo:

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Over 60 couples from around the region have gathered in Puerto Rico’s capital to exchange vows at a same-sex marriage ceremony.

The Sunday ceremony in San Juan’s colonial district is taking the couples through the traditional marriage vows following the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling requiring every state to recognize same-sex marriages. The U.S. island’s governor signed an executive order soon after the June ruling.

Organizer Ada Conde says the mass ceremony is a “celebration of the triumph of love.” She is an attorney who filed a federal lawsuit seeking to have her same-sex marriage recognized in Puerto Rico prior to the Supreme Court decision.

The ceremony was criticized by the Roman Catholic bishop of Arecibo. Monsignor Daniel Fernandez Torres says same-sex marriages are “contrary to natural law.”

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