text: And this adds to the complications! I wonder what exactly you have in mind by "movement of powerful groups" towards a church's "recognition of ssm." There is no other church like the RCC, polity-wise. There is a fairly large number of Christian churches which are "gay-friendly," and may affirm or bless the civil marriages of LG couples; the number is rather smaller, of those who will actually give them a "church wedding." Among mainstream Protestants, often individual congregations have the right to be gay-affirming, as they see fit, so perhaps one may speak of "powerful groups" on that level. Then there are the smaller churches, usually of recent foundation, who are by ideology or mission gay-affirming, e.g. MCC and Old Catholics, in which case "movement of powerful groups" doesn't really apply.
  
  Does the RCC ever change because of pressure applied by "powerful groups"? There was a strong movement supporting artificial contraception in the 1960s, and look what happened there!