Italy: Compromise on PACS?
On January 29, Giorgio Napolitano, the president of the Italian Republic, on a visit to Madrid, said, on the subject of the parliamentary debate on de facto unions, that there “was no doubt that a synthesis could be found in talks with the Catholic Church, taking into account the concerns of the Sovereign Pontiff”.
On January 30, Fr. Federico Lombardi, the director of the Press Office of the Holy See, told the 8 pm. news program of the Italian channel RAI Uno : “The intervention by the president Giorgio Napolitano is certainly very significant. It shows great sensitivity to the pope’s position and encourages an attitude of dialogue and respect which is often lacking in current political debate. The President of the Republic is inviting research on a large scale into the problems of society, with great sensitivity towards the concerns expressed by the Church authorities, while recognizing their legitimacy and the fact that they are well-founded and driven by the search for the common good of society, and in this particular case, of Italian society”. And he concluded: “It remains to be seen how, in this dialogue, the desired compromise can be found, involving the different constituents of the political community and Italian society, in such a way, that the opinion expressed by the authorities of the Church in Italy, may be really taken in to account”.
On the same day, the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) issued a communiqué, presented by Mgr. Giuseppe Betori, the secretary of CEI. The text pointed out that the legalizations of de facto unions (cohabitation – Ed.) was considered by the bishops to be “superfluous” since “the protection of the rights of heterosexual persons living under the same roof can be guaranteed by civil law”. It was demanded that the civil authorities support “the legitimate family founded on marriage”. It was stated that the recognition of homosexual unions would cause the loss “of the important distinction between the masculinity and femininity of the human person”. The bishops asserted their right “to intervene in order to defend these paramount values which, even before being Christian, are first of all, human”. Furthermore, Mgr. Betori pointed out that “a synthesis is not a compromise. And it must be founded on the respect for identities” as “the Catholic Church cannot abandon her principles”.
