Gay civil unions and same-sex marriages are a “Trojan horse” that fundamentally weakens the institution of the family, a senior cardinal has warned.
Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, the head of the Italian Bishops Conference, said that civil unions between gay men and women only serve to “confuse people” and undermine traditional family life.
This is especially so if the couples go on to have children, either through adoption or through donor methods, he added.
Cardinal Bagnasco’s warning comes only weeks after an interim report from the synod on the family had praised the “gifts” gays and lesbians offer the Church.
It also noted the “precious support” same-sex partners give to one other.
These statements did not make it into the final report from the synod.
But Cardinal Bagnasco told a meeting of Italian bishops in Assisi that “it is irresponsible to weaken the family by creating new forms”.
“It only confuses people and has the effect of being a sort of Trojan horse, undermining culturally and socially the core of humanity,” The Telegraph reported him saying.
Children “have a right to a mother and a father”, Cardinal Bagnasco told the bishops.
Cardinal Bagnasco’s remarks were interpreted as an attack on the increasing number of mayors in Italy who have recently made a point of recognising gay marriages performed overseas.
Same-sex marriage is illegal in Italy, but couples who have tied the knot in foreign countries have sought recognition from their local councils by registering their unions in town halls.
The action by mayors around the country earned a rebuke from Angelino Alfano, who is both deputy prime minister and interior minister.
Last month he ordered mayors to stop recognising gay marriages performed in other countries.
A survey last year showed that 85 per cent of Italians supported the idea of recognising civil unions which give same-sex partners more rights.
But the same poll showed that only 25 per cent were in favour of full gay marriage.
Sources