Protesters scorn DomRep non-Catholic marriage view

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic - More than 100 evangelists are demanding that the Dominican Republic recognize as civil marriages those performed outside the Catholic church.

Currently, the government considers only those blessed by a Catholic priest as civil marriages.

The president of a national church council says the practice is a violation of human rights. Reinaldo Franco Aquino was among the more than 100 people who protested Wednesday.

Legislators are expected to review a 1954 accord between the Dominican Republic and the Vatican that recognizes Catholicism as the official religion and awards the church certain privileges.

About 95 percent of the country's 9.7 million people are Catholic.