A woman in a lesbian relationship has given birth to the first baby of the year in France.

The baby boy, named Sacha, was born on the morning of New Year’s Day between midnight and a minute past midnight at the Moulins Hospital Centre.

His birth mother Maude has been in a PACS civil union with her partner Delphine since 2010, according to France TV.

Sacha, measuring 48.5 cm long and weighing 2.92 kilograms, was conceived through artificial insemination.

Under current laws, the couple were not allowed to get artificial insemination in their own country so they had to travel to Belgium.

The lesbian couple is reportedly hoping to get married as soon as it becomes legal in France as Delphine has no legal rights to the child they both plan to raise.

The national assembly is due to consider the bill later this month as supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage step up their campaigns.

Pope Benedict XVI, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has been specifically vocal saying gay marriage in France would lead to a ‘threat to justice and peace’.

As a response, people on social networks have said Sacha could be some sort of ‘divine intervention’.

One Twitter user said: ‘Dear #POPE: God sent you a message on 1/1/13 by ensuring the first baby born in France was born to a lesbian couple. End the anti-gay hate!’

In Europe, the only countries to legalize gay marriage are the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Portugal and Denmark