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Vatican opinions still influence the terms of political debate in Italy
By Antonio Fabrizio
Posted: July 1, 2006
Early last month, in a document titled “Family and Human Procreation”, the Pontifical Council for the
Family asserted its strong commitment to traditional family and emphasized the risks related to the
'misuse' of abortion and in-vitro fertilization, stating also that feminism contributed to shape the crisis of
the current society.
The council condemned proposals to put homosexual and heterosexual couples on the same level,
arguing that “unusual couples” should not be allowed to obtain the same rights acknowledged to the
“usual couples” because they do not have the same type of foundation. Forms of love which are
different from the traditional one would be, as the Pope himself had declared on May 11, “weak”.
The June 6th document also stated that the PACS – civil pacts of solidarity, a form of civil union
allowing gay couples to gain recognition of their rights as couples and not only as individuals – would
represent a danger to the values of Christian society, symbolizing what is termed as the “Eclipse of
God”.
The document then criticized abortion, stating that it is not acceptable to let it go unpunished, since it
represents an “abominable crime” and no crime should be converted into a right. Moreover, it
censured in-vitro fertilization and affirmed that life is not a “matter of technology”.
Feminism, according to the paper, contributed to the crisis of the humankind by accentuating the
“polemic character” of the relationship between men and women, undermining in the process the
institution of traditional family.
The reference to gay marriages, however, remains central. Following proposals from many Italian
politicians to legislate on this matter to allow certain rights to gay couples, the Vatican has ensured
dozens of repeated attacks on the demands of the gay community in an effort to block their
expectations.
Many secular politicians and institutions have responded by arguing that the Vatican, being a sovereign
state on its own territory, has no right to enter the Italian political debate because Italy too is sovereign.
The contention of these progressive groups is that no interferences should be allowed by one
sovereign state into the affairs of another country.
The gay community also highlighted a crucial point: it is incomprehensible that church leaders attack
gay community's legitimate requests and refer to them as the “Eclipse of God”, whereas many issues
such as Holocaust, violence on unarmed people, abuses on children, useless wars and poverty and
so on do not attract the attention of the church. The church is silent on these issues.
Many also highlight the fact that western parliaments are increasingly considering legislative
regulation to recognize the rights of those same-sex couples who decide to live their lives together and
ask to have these rights clearly shaped. Laws regulating same-sex relationships have been approved
in many European countries, including Spain, United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, and overseas
(Canada and some US states).
Nonetheless in Italy, the country which is mostly influenced by the Vatican's opinions because they
practically share the same territory even though they are formally separated, it seems to be a very tough
task to find agreements: the claims to forbid gay marriages are issued both by conservative parties –
what occurs also elsewhere – and by religious leaders acting as political parties, something that is
typically “Italian”. The combination of these two powers, the massive veto power the Vatican continues
to exercise on the Italian society, and the strong commitment of conservative politicians to follow its
recommendations, make it much more difficult to find agreements in any reasonable time.
### ### ###
Antonio Fabrizio is a Global Affairs Intern, The Atlantic Affairs.
By Antonio Fabrizio
Posted: July 1, 2006
Early last month, in a document titled “Family and Human Procreation”, the Pontifical Council for the
Family asserted its strong commitment to traditional family and emphasized the risks related to the
'misuse' of abortion and in-vitro fertilization, stating also that feminism contributed to shape the crisis of
the current society.
The council condemned proposals to put homosexual and heterosexual couples on the same level,
arguing that “unusual couples” should not be allowed to obtain the same rights acknowledged to the
“usual couples” because they do not have the same type of foundation. Forms of love which are
different from the traditional one would be, as the Pope himself had declared on May 11, “weak”.
The June 6th document also stated that the PACS – civil pacts of solidarity, a form of civil union
allowing gay couples to gain recognition of their rights as couples and not only as individuals – would
represent a danger to the values of Christian society, symbolizing what is termed as the “Eclipse of
God”.
The document then criticized abortion, stating that it is not acceptable to let it go unpunished, since it
represents an “abominable crime” and no crime should be converted into a right. Moreover, it
censured in-vitro fertilization and affirmed that life is not a “matter of technology”.
Feminism, according to the paper, contributed to the crisis of the humankind by accentuating the
“polemic character” of the relationship between men and women, undermining in the process the
institution of traditional family.
The reference to gay marriages, however, remains central. Following proposals from many Italian
politicians to legislate on this matter to allow certain rights to gay couples, the Vatican has ensured
dozens of repeated attacks on the demands of the gay community in an effort to block their
expectations.
Many secular politicians and institutions have responded by arguing that the Vatican, being a sovereign
state on its own territory, has no right to enter the Italian political debate because Italy too is sovereign.
The contention of these progressive groups is that no interferences should be allowed by one
sovereign state into the affairs of another country.
The gay community also highlighted a crucial point: it is incomprehensible that church leaders attack
gay community's legitimate requests and refer to them as the “Eclipse of God”, whereas many issues
such as Holocaust, violence on unarmed people, abuses on children, useless wars and poverty and
so on do not attract the attention of the church. The church is silent on these issues.
Many also highlight the fact that western parliaments are increasingly considering legislative
regulation to recognize the rights of those same-sex couples who decide to live their lives together and
ask to have these rights clearly shaped. Laws regulating same-sex relationships have been approved
in many European countries, including Spain, United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, and overseas
(Canada and some US states).
Nonetheless in Italy, the country which is mostly influenced by the Vatican's opinions because they
practically share the same territory even though they are formally separated, it seems to be a very tough
task to find agreements: the claims to forbid gay marriages are issued both by conservative parties –
what occurs also elsewhere – and by religious leaders acting as political parties, something that is
typically “Italian”. The combination of these two powers, the massive veto power the Vatican continues
to exercise on the Italian society, and the strong commitment of conservative politicians to follow its
recommendations, make it much more difficult to find agreements in any reasonable time.
### ### ###
Antonio Fabrizio is a Global Affairs Intern, The Atlantic Affairs.
| (c) 2006 New Criterion Foundation, London |
| Security. Ideologies. Multiculturalism. |