The Vatican warned Italy that some points of a bill under discussion in the Senate against homophobia and transphobia “reduce the religious freedom” guaranteed by the so-called Concordat, the agreement that regulates relations between the Italian Church and State since 1929 and He raised his “concern” about the text.
“Some current contents of the proposal reduce the guaranteed freedom to the Catholic Church by Article 2, paragraphs 1 and 3 of the agreement revision of the Concordat “, raised the Holy See to the Italian Government in an official note submitted last week, he reported today the newspaper Corriere Della Sera.
The letter, which according to the newspaper was delivered by the so-called Vatican “chancellor” Paul Richard Gallagher, warns that some aspects of the norm approved by deputies in November go against the legal framework that regulates the existence of the Church in the country.
“Certainly, there is a concern of the Holy See and of each one of us” for the text, said today the prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, Irish Cardinal Kevin Farrell, when asked about the letter at a press conference.
According to Corriere, the concern of the Holy See extends to “freedom of organization, the public exercise of worship, the exercise of teaching and episcopal ministry” and the guarantee “to Catholics and their associations and organizations full freedom of assembly and the manifestation of thought with the word, the writings and any other means of diffusion “.
One of the points that worries the Vatican, always according to Corriere, is that with the current text of the project known as ” DDL Zan”, private Catholic schools would not be exempt from organizing activities during the future National Day against Homophobia.
At the same time, the note presented by the Secretary for Relations with the Vatican States to the Italian embassy to the Holy See warns about the “freedom of thought” of Catholics and the possible legal consequences.
“We ask that our concerns be taken into account,” said Gallagher in the letter, according to Corriere, about the project, which also generates divisions within the Italian ruling party.
The letter marks the first time that the Holy See has made a formal request to Italy on a bill in almost 100 years of existence of the so-called Lateran Pacts, which framed the bilateral relationship.
The Vatican letter was supported by some members of the ruling party, such as Matteo Salvini of the League, who demanded a “brake and revision” of the project.
The also ruling party Enrico Letta, secretary-general of the Democratic Party, ratified the will to pass the law although he stated that the government is “open to dialogue.”
“We are ready to look at legal issues but we support the implementation of the law, which is a law of civility,” he said in statements.
