Abuja, Nigeria, Sep 13, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The Vatican daily, Osservatore Romano, has accused former Italian premier Romano Prodi of undermining marriage and the moral framework of society by proposing that cohabiting couples be granted the same legal rights and benefits as married couples.
Prodi added Monday he would not exclude same-sex couples from these benefits, but he denied that his proposal-a move that would create civil unions-was related to same-sex marriage.
The Vatican newspaper said Prodi is sacrificing family values for the sake of election considerations. The leader of Italian Parliament’s centre-left opposition is expected to run in the upcoming presidential elections.
The former European Commission chief argued that-given the rising number of long-term, cohabiting couples-a law protecting their legal rights was long overdue, reported ANSA. The number of unmarried couples living together in Italy doubled from 227,000 in 1994 to 555,000 in 2003.