It has emerged that the Bishop of Ciudad Real was responsible for the expulsion of a 54 year old woman from a religious fraternity in Abenójar as a result of her recent civil marriage to her lesbian partner, which the bishop described as "glaringly scandalous."

María Rey Santos (photo, right) was thrown out of the order in August last year, just a few months after her wedding to Dulce Fernández (photo, left) with whom she has shared the last decade and a half.

María, who took part in last weekend's traditional pilgrimage despite the ban, is being actively supported in her campaign to be readmitted to the Brotherhood of the Virgen de la Encarnación by many of the town's population of 1,600.