ROME – Tens of thousands of people plan to rally today to protest a bill that would give legal rights to unmarried couples, including gays and lesbians, fueling a debate that has split Italy amid calls by Pope Benedict XVI to defend the traditional family.
The legislation, which awaits parliamentary approval, has underscored long-standing tensions in this largely Roman Catholic country between a desire to hold on to church-sanctioned traditions and a push toward greater secularization.
Organizers of today’s “Family Day” include lay Catholic groups and family associations. While the demonstration has been endorsed by Italian bishops, neither the Vatican nor the Italian bishops’ conference is formally behind it.
“Family belongs to believers and nonbelievers alike,” said Gaetano Quagliariello, a center-right senator who helped organize the rally at Rome’s St. John Lateran piazza. “Family has to do with culture and civilization.”
The bill at the heart of the controversy was passed by Premier Romano Prodi’s center-left Cabinet in February, spurring tensions in a coalition that includes both hard-line leftists and Christian Democrats.
The proposed legislation stops short of legalizing gay marriage – as was done in Spain and other European countries. Rather, it would entitle unmarried couples who live together to hospital visiting rights, inheritance rights and other legal protections.
“This bill is modest and it’s just a partial solution,” said Franco Grillini, president of the main Italian gay rights group Arcigay. “I think that the problem is that the country is scared of diversity. We need to defend the dignity of our unions, and we want the government to recognize them.”
He welcomed the rally, however, saying it was a “triumph” for gay rights. “It will be a big protest against us, and that is the best advertisement we could ever have.”
Critics say the bill would dismantle what they consider to be the centerpiece of society: the traditional family based on marriage between a man and a woman.
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