Italy: Mayor of Milan facing criminal charges for registering same-sex marriages
The Mayor of Milan claims he is facing criminal charges, after he agreed to register a number of same-sex marriages carried out abroad.
Italy is strongly Catholic, and lags behind the rest of Western Europe on gay rights ā maintains a strictly-enforced ban on recognition of same-sex marriage.
However, a number of left-wing mayors across ItalyĀ have openly defied Interior minister Angelino Alfano to recogniseĀ gay and lesbian weddingsĀ – with even the Mayor of Rome recognising a number of weddings in October.
MrĀ Alfano has demanded that the mayors void all same-sex marriages – and Milan mayor Giuliano Pisapia revealed that he is now facing “criminal proceedings” after he refused to do so.
MayorĀ Pisapia Ā wrote:Ā “I am the subject of criminal proceedings for not having fulfilled the request to delete the recordsĀ of marriages contracts between people of the same sex.
āI respect everyoneās opinion on same-sexĀ marriages, but the law dictates the registration of marriages that are legitimately carried out abroad.
“I want to urge President Renzi and all parties of the Centre-Left to commit themselves to waiving Interior Minister Alfano order that requires mayors to break the law and void the marriages.”
Earlier this weekĀ Pope Francis attacked same-sex marriage, saying those who support it are attemptingĀ to ādisfigure Godās plan for creationā.
Speaking at a mass in Manila, Pope FrancisĀ warned that the family is āthreatenedā by people who want to āāredefine the very institution of marriageā.
