“What is good for the family is good for the country.” With these words, Giovanni Giacobbe, presented plans for a protest at St. John Lateran’s Square on May 12 against a proposed law that would legalize homosexual unions in Italy.

Giacobbe explained during a press conference that the protest would not be “against the government, but rather in favor of greater attention to family policies and against the public recognition of non-marital unions.”

During the conference he presented a statement entitled, “More Family,” drafted by movements and associations from the Catholic world, emphasizing that the idea is “to create a plaza full of Italians, lay people and Catholics,” including leaders of civil society.

The statement expressed a rejection of any attempt to force substitutions for the traditional family, which is based on marriage and open to new life.  The statement also rejected any effort that would undermine the family on a cultural, legal, or societal level.  Giacobbe said the statement was “a great yes to the family and to the efforts in favor of the family.”