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Canadian religious groups that oppose gay marriage are trying to make the best of a Supreme Court ruling that paves the way for Canada to become the third nation besides Belgium and the Netherlands to allow nationwide recognition of gay nuptials.

The court’s opinion, in a clarification sought by Prime Minister Paul Martin, said December 8 that the federal government has exclusive authority to define marriage and said a proposed law to allow same-sex marriages is constitutional.

Ministers of the United Church of Canada, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, have launched an unprecedented drive to unionize, saying they have been victims of harassment and emotional abuse for too long.

Representatives of the church met in Toronto last month alongside leaders of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) to sign union cards and to begin a campaign to sign up the church’s 4,000 clergy.