Mario Monti: Decision on Italian marriage equality should be made by parliament
The Italian Premier, Mario Monti, who is backed by the Vatican for his re-election bid, has said that gay rights issues, including marriage equality, should be decided by parliament, not his government, if he is successful.
Monti, who was sworn in on 16 November 2011, said in a TV interview that issues concerning personal dignity were more important than economic reforms, the Associated Press reports.
He did however go on to say that his coalition, which includes pro-Vatican centrists, came together with a view to tackling the more “urgent” issue of economic growth in the midst of Italy’s economic recession.
Without expressing a personal view on marriage equality, Monti said that the new parliament will play a greater role than the government in dealing with gay rights issues.
Equal marriage is currently not permitted in Italy, and the Vatican, which carries a lot of influence in Italian politics, is very strongly opposed to same-sex marriage.
Former Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, a candidate in the election, recently said his opponents had accused him of everything “except being gay and stealing money from Italians.” Prior to that, in March 2011, Berlusconi declared that gay couples in Italy would never be allowed to marry or have adoption rights.
The Italian general election will take place on 24–25 February 2013.