According to the Vatican document, some parts of the Italian bill would violate the current bilateral treaty between Italy and the Holy See.
Vatican City (23/06/2021 15:05, Gaudium Press) The Vatican, through Bishop Paul Gallagher, in charge of relations with other states, has handed the Italian ambassador to the Holy See a diplomatic “note verbale” which formally opposes a bill dedicated to LGBT propaganda.
Bilateral Treaty between Italy and the Holy See
According to the Vatican document, some passages of the Italian bill contravene the bilateral treaty in force between Italy and the Holy See, calling into question the freedom guaranteed to the Catholic Church in matters of organization and exercise of worship, as well as the freedom of expression granted to the faithful and Catholic associations.
Bill reduces the freedom of the Catholic Church
The Vatican has never before invoked the concordat to challenge a bill. Specifically, the bill – already approved by the Chamber of Deputies and currently before the Senate – reduces the Church’s freedom guaranteed in article 2 of the concordat, and in “paragraphs 1 and 3 of the agreement for the revision of the Concordat”, which refer to the “freedom of organisation, of public worship, of teaching and of episcopal ministry” and the guarantee “to Catholics and their associations and organisations full freedom of assembly and expression of thought through speech, writing and any other means of dissemination”, as explained by Corriere della Sera.
Italian Bishops’ Conference denounces the bill
Recently, the Italian Bishops’ Conference had denounced that “subjecting, for example, to criminal prosecution those who believe that the family requires a father and mother, and not the duplication of the same figure, would be tantamount to introducing a crime of opinion. This effectively limits personal freedom, educational choices, the way of thinking and being, the exercise of criticism and disagreement”. (EPC)
