News
2006-12-22
Italian
legislators cause outrage after placing same-sex dolls in
nativity scene
Two leftists in
Italy's ruling coalition on Wednesday outraged fellow
lawmakers by placing
Two leftists in
Italy's ruling coalition on Wednesday outraged fellow
lawmakers by placing four dolls representing two gay couples
near the Baby Jesus in the official Nativity scene in
parliament in Rome. The two parliamentarians from the
small "Rose in the Fist" party said their gesture was
to promote the legalization of same-sex marriage and
granting legal recognition to unmarried couples.
Bruno Mellano and Donatella Poretti placed the
Barbie and Ken–type dolls in the parliamentary
Nativity scene, each couple lying down embraced among
the shepherds witnessing the birth of Jesus. Each of the two
doll couples, which parliamentary ushers removed after
a few minutes, wore miniature placards with slogans in
favor of gay rights.
"This is a vulgar and unacceptable double-attack
against both a [national] institution as well as a
religious symbol," a group of women parliamentarians
of the opposition conservative Forza Italia party said
in a statement.
Luca Volonte, a member of the small centrist
opposition party Union of Christian Democrats, called
the gesture a "pure attack against the religion
practiced by the majority of Italians."
Italy is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, and
nativity scenes, featuring figures of the Baby Jesus,
Mary, Joseph, shepherds, animals, and three kings
bearing gifts, are displayed in many homes, squares, and shops.
Some members of the opposition demanded the
lawmakers be censured by the speaker of the lower
house of parliament. But even the Italian Communist
Party, which supports gay rights and is also in the ruling
coalition of Prime Minister Romano Prodi, distanced
itself from the action. One communist parliamentarian
called it "a grave political error" that would not
help gays.
The two leftist politicians carried out their
gesture just before Pope Benedict XVI, speaking to
pilgrims and tourists at the Vatican, said Christmas
crèches were part of Christian culture that had to be defended.
In recent weeks several state schools have
decided not to erect Nativity scenes. Some shops
decided not to sell them, saying they were not popular
or did not fit their image.
But even education minister Giuseppe Fioroni has
criticized such schools, saying they had gone too far
in banning Nativity scenes, which could instead be
used as tools for interreligious dialogue. (Reuters)
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