Talk:Civil unions in Italy

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This article need corrections: there is no Civil union law in Italy, which is not a Federal state, therefopre different areas may not have different laws about marriage, as shown in this map.

I'll try to do a translation from the italian article. but i don't know a lot of english (i speak french and italian, I live in italy -_- ) Ludovitalia 11:51, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Vatican, Prodi Headed for Showdown on Gay-Marriage Proposal

By Flavia Krause-Jackson

Feb. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and Pope Benedict XVI are headed for a showdown over gay marriage.

Prodi's cabinet plans to debate tomorrow a draft bill giving legal recognition to long-standing, unmarried couples, including homosexuals. The pope, who can wield considerable political power, has made it clear he strongly opposes the move.

The last time church-state relations were this strained was more than 30 years ago, when the Vatican, a city-state in the center of Rome, lost back-to-back battles against divorce and abortion, both of which voters approved in popular referendums.

``The church is fighting a losing battle to stop some form of recognition for gay couples, but where it will succeed is in watering down the legislation by dividing (Prodi's) coalition and mobilizing Catholics, said Antonio Noto, director of IPR Marketing, a polling firm, in an interview.

The co-authors of the bill represent both factions of the coalition: Family Minister Rosy Bindi of the pro-Catholic Daisy party and Equal Opportunities Minister Barbara Pollastrini, part of the former communist Democrats of the Left.

The draft permits couples who have lived together for at least five years, regardless of their sexuality, to register their union and tap into some health and house-leasing benefits. Pensions will probably be excluded.

Recognizing `Reality'

In an attempt to appease Benedict, Bindi says the bill merely acknowledges ``a reality and won't give same-sex unions the same rights as traditional marriages.

Italy is one of four countries in the 13-nation European Union that lack a legal framework for cohabiting, same-sex couples. Ireland, Greece and Austria are the others.

While the Italian bill is moderate compared with legislation elsewhere in Europe, it's too much for the Vatican, still sore from a setback in Spain. In 2005, the Socialist government headed by Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero put gay marriages on par with heterosexual ones in a country that is also predominantly Catholic.

The pope stepped into the new debate shortly before Christmas. ``I can't hide my concern about legislation on de facto couples, he said in a speech to the Roman clergy.

Since then he's gone further. On Jan 11, Benedict told a group of lawmakers, including Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni, that plans to recognize unions other than traditional marriage ``appear dangerous and counterproductive.

Vatican's Influence

The 79-year-old Benedict, who called love between people of the same sex ``weak, has demonstrated significant political influence. Fewer than 20 percent of Italy's population participated in a 2005 referendum on fertility treatment after Benedict endorsed a call to abstain from voting. This effectively killed the measure because at least half of eligible voters must cast ballots for a referendum to be valid.

The Vatican can also count on the backing of influential politicians from the left and the right. In Prodi's own coalition, Justice Minister Clemente Mastella has already said he'll flout Prodi's orders and vote against the bill. His stance is backed by all four parties in the opposition.

``Let the government fall, but I will not vote for this law, Mastella said on Jan. 28, who abstained from a government motion yesterday on the issue.

His party has 10 members of parliament in the Chamber of Deputies and three senators. Prodi's coalition has a 40-seat majority in the lower house and only a one-seat majority in the Senate, so every vote Prodi can get is important.

Parliament Vote

Italy's lower house of parliament last night backed the civil-union bill in a procedural vote by 301 votes to 266. In the Senate, the government only has a one-seat advantage.

Pressure to introduce a gay-rights measure comes from an alliance that includes the Radicals, who back same-sex marriage, and Communists, one of whose members is the first transsexual in Italy's parliament. They are also unsatisfied with the bill, saying it doesn't go far enough, and voted against last's night motion in parliament.

``We want a law that is fairer and more complete, said Franco Grillini, a gay activist and member of the Democrats of the Left, the biggest party in the ruling coalition, during a Jan. 25 demonstration outside the Chamber of Deputies.

Two-thirds of Italians favor legalization of de facto couples, regardless of sexual orientation, Rome-based research institute Eurispes said in its 2007 annual report released Jan. 26. Among practicing Catholics, 45 percent are against, a separate poll by SWG Srl showed.

``We live in a secular society where everyone should be able to give an input, and the Church is no different in this respect when it comes to matters that affect the human person, Dario Antiseri, a professor of social sciences at Rome's Luiss University, said in an interview. ``The Vatican's interest is in defending the traditional family and that it will do.

To contact the reporter on this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson in Rome at fjackson@bloomberg.net .

Last Updated: February 1, 2007 05:12 EST

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=apCLTMjLLULU&refer=europe