- Title: ITALY-GAY/MARRIAGE-FILE Italy leaves gay couples waiting at the altar
- Date: 14th October 2015
- Summary: ROME, ITALY (FILE - JUNE 13, 2015) (REUTERS) GAY PRIDE PARADE MOVING PAST THE COLOSSEUM PARTICIPANTS BY FOUNTAIN IN CENTRAL ROMAN SQUARE GAY PRIDE PARADE PARTICIPANTS DANCING TWO MEN KISSING DURING GAY PRIDE PARADE
- Embargoed: 29th October 2015 12:00
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- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA1EK2VR2RE2JZNW24IHMMH3WFF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Italy is the last major country in the West that has not given same-sex couples any legal recognition, and was condemned this year by the European Court of Human Rights for failing to introduce long-delayed legislation.
The foot dragging over gay rights reveals the difficulties Italy has always faced when trying to promote civil liberties that go against the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.
It also highlights the internal frictions within Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's ruling coalition, raising questions about his political strength and determination to push aside powerful lobbies that have stymied reform in Italy in the past.
Rosario Murdica and Gianni Finocchietti always wanted to get married in Italy, but after 30 years together they lost hope of ever tying the knot in their home country and instead said their vows in Portugal, but that gives them no legal rights as a couple in Italy.
This means they receive none of the tax breaks heterosexual couples can claim, have no right to a portion of a partner's pension should one of them die, no automatic inheritance rights and no right to confidential briefings from doctors should either of them fall ill because they are not considered family.
"We are a couple who are the same as all the other couples," said Rosario Murdica at his home in Rome.
"There is no difference between us and heterosexual couples, because we are both working, we are living together, we have our friends and families. We pay our taxes like everyone else in the country. The country needs professionals like us, so we don't understand what motivations there are for this strong discrimination in terms of equality to still be in place today," he said.
Murdica's husband agrees with him, adding he is tired of being treated like a second-class citizen.
"Because first and second-class citizens should not exist. But we have been relegated into a ghetto of second-class citizens, because we don't have the same rights that are given to the other citizens, who like us pay their taxes, contribute to social life, and help everything to work better," Gianni Finocchietti said.
Despite the current state of affairs, Finocchietti is confident that change will eventually come, albeit not quickly.
"I have faith that even in the Church there will be changes as I see that people have changed there. This will then have an effect on the structure, on the ideology, on the religious culture, but certainly the timeframe will be much longer compared to the Italian society," he said.
After missing a number of self-imposed deadlines, Renzi promised that parliament would approve before the end of 2015 a bill that does not allow full gay marriages but authorises civil unions complete with legal protection.
However, this new timetable also now looks likely to be further extended, angering homosexual couples who believe their rights are being mangled by political shenanigans.
Senator Monica Cirinna, author of the government's draft legislation for civil unions, says Italy is still stuck in the "Middle Ages" and argues that the country needs to approve her law to boost its international credibility.
"It is clear that being consistent with the rest of Europe will help us a lot and give credibility to our country. We can't possibly think to be part of Europe, and asking for help on issues like migration, while being the worst when it comes to human rights. Being on a par with the other European countries will give us more credibility and strength," Cirinna, who is a member of Renzi's Democratic Party (PD), told Reuters.
Italy's parliament is just a five minute drive from the Vatican, the seat of power for the Roman Catholic Church, which exerts considerable sway over domestic politics, even as its power elsewhere appears to recede.
Although Pope Francis himself is seen as more open to changes in society than his predecessors, he has nonetheless made plain his opposition to same-sex marriages.
"The real issue is that there can be a very strong feeling of affection between two homosexuals, at times even stronger than that between a man and a woman. But that is not a marital affection, in the sense that, a homosexual person who is honest with himself or herself, knows that they can never become parents of a child with their partner," said Paolo Gentili, director of the pastoral office for the family at the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI).
Pope Francis this week reaffirmed Catholic opposition to gay marriage as he opened a three-week gathering of bishops from around the world but said the Church had to show love and understanding towards all.
An opinion poll by the Piepoli Institute in May said 67 percent of Italians supported civil unions, which the government is legislating for, while 51 percent backed gay marriage.
Despite such surveys, many say the notion of a traditional marriage is deeply rooted in Italy, with Italians themselves not as open minded as they might claim to be, helping to explain the snails' progress for gay rights. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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