An openly gay undersecretary
in the cabinet of Premier Matteo Renzi on Thursday called
"inopportune" a letter from the Milan Catholic diocese asking
religion teachers to report back on any schools with gay- or
gender-related programs.
"One could euphemistically call the letter inopportune, and
it was probably the fruit of an excess of zeal and a lack of
forethought," said Reform Ministry Undersecretary Ivan
Scalfarotto, a long-time promoter of LGBT rights.
The letter written by the prelate in charge of education,
Father Gian Battista Rota, was made public when some teachers
turned it over to La Repubblica newspaper.
The Milan diocese later confirmed the letter, while
withdrawing it from its own site.
"Religion teachers play an important role in a public
school system that is and must remain secular," Scalfarotto
said. "Turning them...into some kind of secret agent or snitch
damages their dignity and harms a Church that so many -
believers and non-believers - would like to see be welcoming and
inclusive," the undersecretary concluded.
Also on Thursday, Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) chief
Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco appeared to distance himself from the
incident.
"It seems extremely improbable and strange that a census of
this kind could be carried out in schools," he said.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
