Italian Catholics Tell Pope To Butt Out Of Gay Partner Debate
Italian Catholics Tell Pope To Butt Out Of Gay Partner Debate
by 365Gay Newscenter staff
02.15.2007 4:42 PM EST
(Rome) In a stinging rebuke of Pope Benedict XVI's condemnation of legislation granting limited rights to same-sex couples a group of well known Italian Catholics Thursday told the Vatican it had no business interfering in politics.
A civil partnership bill is expected to be presented in Italy's lower house within days. It was approved by the cabinet last week.
On Monday the Pope labeled the bill as "subversive" and the Vatican has issued a statement saying Catholic politicians have a duty to defeat the measure.
"Should such an intervention take place ... it would destroy the freedom and dignity of Catholic lawmakers in parliament," former Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro told la Repubblica.
Scalfaro is a highly regarded Catholic. He attends mass daily and has said he has discussions with the Virgin Mary.
A group of prominent Catholic intellectuals issued an open letter to the Vatican on Thursday warning the Church that it had a concord with Italy that in return for the Vatican being regarded a separate state within Italy it would not interfere in politics.
In addition la Repubblica published a poll Thursday showing 80 percent of Italians said they support the legislation.
Prodi has a razor thin majority in Parliament.
The opposition right of center coalition, led by Silvio Berlusconi and aligned with the Vatican, already has said it will vote against the civil unions bill.
Even Prodi's own coalition government has deep divisions.
A loose coalition of nine small parties, his government has been grappling with civil partnerships for moths. Communists on the the far left of the coalition have been pressing for full marriage. The tiny UDEUR Party is opposed to any legislation.
YAY FOR ITALY!
|