The president of the Italian Catholic bishops’ conference, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, (pic'd here) has announced that the bishops are preparing a statement on proposed legislation that would recognize civil unions. No schedule was announced for the release of the statement.In an interview with the Italian daily Correre della Sera the rector of the Pontifical Lateran University, Bishop Rino Fisichella, criticized the government’s proposal, which would give legal recognition to same-sex unions. Bishop Fisichella said that “the bishops will remind Catholic parliamentians of their obligation to reject the project.”
In an interview for the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz stated that the late Pope John Paul II would have reacted to the legalization of homosexual civil union with a policy similar to that taken by Pope Benedict XVI .
“As a close collaborator of Wojtyla,” said the Polish cardinal, “Benedict XVI defends moral values very wel.” Cardinal Dziwisz, who had served for years as personal secretary to the late Pontiff, said that “John Paul II would have, without a doubt, made his voice heard on these topics.”
In related news, on February 11, 10,000 people gathered in Rome at a demonstration to protest Vatican interference in Italian politics. In attendance were parliamentarians from the Communist and Socialist parties.
Also, according to data released by the Italian agency Istat, fewer than 250,000 marriages were celebrated in Italy in 2005, a number that shows the continual decline since 1972, when just short of 419,000 weddings occurred.
The information revealed more than 500,000 Italian couples living together outside of marriage. Istat also stated that 15% of Italian children-- 80,000 in 2005-- have been born outside of marriage.
That figure is double the number for just ten years ago.
The average age at which Italian men now marry is 32 years old while for Italian women it is 30.
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