Posted on 10/20/2015 8:18:21 AM PDT by marshmallow
Italy’s civil union bill finally reached parliament on Thursday. Any previous attempts to get the law passed have been thwarted by the Catholic Church. But the Church’s influence over gay rights seems to be on the wane.
Two days after Italy’s Senate voted to curtail its powers, premier Matteo Renzi swiftly got to work on the next cornerstone of his mandate: the civil union bill.
With Italy being the last major state in western Europe not to offer gay couples any legal rights, Renzi is under mounting pressure to usher the law in, pledging several times to get it passed by the end of the year.
Soon after the debate got underway came the opposing voice of the Catholic Church, with Nunzio Galentino, the secretary general of the Italian bishops conference, saying it was unthinkable that a government would put so much of its energy into a debate that would erode traditional family values.
But with the majority of Italy’s opposition parties, including Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, supporting the proposals, it doesn’t look as if Galentino’s words will carry much weight in the latest debate.
The Church’s influence on Italian politics has managed to derail attempts by previous administrations to get the law enacted, and while it still plays a strong role in Italy, its influence over the gay rights debate seems to be diminishing.
“It’s not like 30 years ago,” Paolo Segatti, a political sociology professor at the University of Milan, told The Local.
(Excerpt) Read more at thelocal.it ...
I cannot believe Berlusconi is fine with the advancement of the homosexual agenda, which starts with ‘civil union’ BS. Did I read that right?
Silvio, what happened to you? Too old and worn out I guess.
Italy hasn’t been a faithful daughter of the church for many decades.
Not unlike Spain who murdered Catholic Priests and Nuns under the so called ‘Loyalists’ before and during the Spanish Civil War.
Socialism is these peoples ‘god’
Hey Italy- Get ready to0 have your bakers sued for not providing wedding cakes for gay marriages, your printers sued for not printing brochures advertising gay marriages, your churches sued for not providing their buildings for gay wedding receptions etc etc etc-
The Catholic church isnt even christian...why arent the christians stopping this?
I wonder what theuslims there will do, the moderate one.
I wonder what theuslims there will do, the moderate one.
theuslims...?
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