The Holy See is not asking
Italy to block a homophobia bill currently going through
parliament which the Vatican has said should be tweaked because
if allegedly flouts the Concordat between Rome and the Vatican,
Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told Vatican News
Thursday.
The Vatican has said, along with conservative Italian political
parties, that the bill if passed would curb freedom of
expression, a charge denied by its sponsor Alessandro Zan of the
centre-left Demcoratic Party (PD).
Parolin said "in no way was it requested to block the law. We
are against any attitude of gesture of intolerance or hate
towards people due to their sexual orientation, and also their
ethnic background and their beliefs. Our concern regards the
enterpretational problems that may stem from adopting a text
with vague and uncertain content, which would end up shifting to
the judicial (system) the definition of what is or is not a
crime".
The Zan bill against homophobia and transphobia would set up an
anti-discrimination day that private Catholic schools would be
expected to take part in.
Gay activist Zan and PD leader Enrico Letta have stressed that
the bill would not crimp freedom of expression, and Catholic
conservatives would still be able to state that they find
homosexuality sinful.
Premier Mario Draghi said Wednesday that Italy was a secular
state and parliament was sovereign in debating laws, while House
Speaker Roberto Speaker said any interference from the Vatican
on the bill was unacceptable.
Parolin said Thursday that he agreed "fully" with Draghi that
the State is secular, not a confessional one, and that
parliament was sovereign.
"That is why we chose a Verbal Note (to voice concerns on the
bill), which is the proper medium for dialogue in international
relations".
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