A Latin American human rights court said on Tuesday that countries in the region should legalize same-sex unions, endorsing a growing push for marriage equality despite opposition from the Roman Catholic Church.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ decision came in response to a petition submitted two years ago by Costa Rican president Luis Guillermo Solis, who had vowed to increase rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the majority Catholic country.

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A number of Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, do not allow same-sex marriage. However, that trend is changing and in recent years same-sex couples have been allowed to marry in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay and some parts of Mexico, despite church opposition.