Italy is divided over the effort to legalize civil unions for gays
ROME — Six years ago, Andrea Rubera married his partner in Canada, where the couple later became parents of three young children. But when they returned to their native Italy, a transformation...
View ArticlePope Francis sends mixed signals on civil unions for gay couples
Last weekend, tens of thousands of Italians took to at least 100 piazzas up and down the country to demonstrate their support for a measure currently before the Italian parliament, and backed by the...
View ArticleCrowd rallies in Rome against civil unions and gay adoption
ROME — A vast crowd of Italians gathered in Rome’s Circus Maximus Saturday to “defend the family and children,” protesting a proposed law that would establish civil unions for gay couples and grant...
View ArticleItalian senators debate same-sex union bill while Vatican watches
ROME — Italian senators have begun voting on a historic law to give legal rights to same-sex couples for the first time, a key test for the authority of the Vatican, which has for centuries had a...
View ArticleTwo Vatican cardinals hit Italy’s civil unions proposal
ROME — Even though Pope Francis has declined to get involved in Italy’s ongoing debate over a bill to legalize same-sex civil unions, saying the pope belongs to everyone and shouldn’t comment on local...
View ArticleCatholic leaders win some, lose some in Italy’s new gay unions measure
ROME — The Italian Senate’s decision to legalize same-sex unions is being viewed by many as a victory for conservative Catholics after those opposed to the bill succeeded in stripping a key component...
View ArticleBad feelings over treatment of gay Catholics disrupt funeral
LEWISTOWN, Mont. — Bad feelings that lingered since a Montana priest prevented two men in a civil union from participating in Mass at a Catholic church 18 months ago have re-emerged to disrupt the...
View ArticleTop Italian bishop pushes back against new civil unions law
VATICAN CITY — In recognizing civil unions of heterosexual and homosexual couples, the Italian government has equated those unions to marriage, said the head of the Italian bishops’ conference. While...
View ArticleStudy suggests Catholic marriage will be dead in Italy by 2031
Pope Francis has made family life and marriage a keen priority, and if he ever needed proof of the urgency of the cause even in his own backyard, a widely respected Italian research group has provided...
View ArticleUnlike Italy, pope backs anti-gay marriage push in Mexico
ROME—After having remained quiet while Italy debated civil unions for same-sex couples in May, on Sunday Pope Francis expressed support for the Mexican bishops in their efforts to support the “family...
View ArticleWill Italy go the way of Brexit and Trump? Catholics may decide
ROME – So far, 2016 has seen a flurry of political unrest and a sharp rise in populist sentiment. The Brexit vote shook the political and economic establishment in Europe, the rejection of an historic...
View ArticleItaly’s new PM could fail, but he’s got a strong Catholic pedigree
As of December 12, the new Italian Prime Minister is Paolo Gentiloni, known as quello freddo, “the cold one.” He came to office after a referendum on changes to the constitution that brought down the...
View ArticleKey ally of Philippines president introduces bills allowing for divorce,...
Philippine Speaker of the House of Representatives, Pantaleon Alvarez, has proposed new bills which would legalize “the easy dissolution of a marriage” and recognize same-sex civil unions in Asia’s...
View ArticleNew project helps guide couples in civil unions into sacramental marriages
[Editor’s Note: Mary-Rose and Ryan Verret are the founders of Witness to Love and the authors of Witness to Love: How to Help the Next Generation Build Marriages that Survive and Thrive. The Civil...
View ArticleRow over priest leading lesbian ceremony captures Church’s inner contradictions
ROME – Anyone seeking a religion run on the basis of strict logic probably would do well to steer clear of the Catholic Church, which is simply too big, too diverse, and, well, too conditioned by its...
View ArticleBottom line on pope movie mystery: ‘If you don’t fix it, you bought it’
ROME – When I was a child growing up in a small Western Kansas town, my mom from time to time would take me to Main Street to visit the shops. Most had some version of the following sign on display,...
View ArticleMexico broadcaster: Pope’s civil union quote not broadcast
MEXICO CITY — A Mexican television broadcaster confirmed Thursday that Pope Francis’ bombshell comments endorsing same-sex civil unions were made during a May 2019 interview that was never broadcast in...
View ArticleBishops: Pope’s civil union remarks won’t change teaching on marriage
CLEVELAND — Pope Francis’s expression of openness to the idea of laws recognizing civil unions, including for gay couples, to protect their rights does not change church teaching on marriage as being...
View ArticlePope’s civil union words spark reactions around the globe
MEXICO CITY — Across the globe, Pope Francis’s comments endorsing same-sex civil unions were received by some as encouragement for an advancing struggle and condemned by others as an earth-shaking...
View ArticleFiasco over pope’s cut civil union quote intensifies impact
ROME — The world premiere of a documentary on Pope Francis was supposed to have been a bright spot for a papacy locked down by a pandemic and besieged by a corruption scandal, recalling Francis’ glory...
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