Pro Vita & Famiglia, an Italian pro-life and pro-family association, had also been a strident opponent of the proposed “anti-homophobia” legislation.
Earlier this month, the Vatican’s doctrinal office wrote a letter to Pro Vita & Famiglia, responding to a request for clarification about Catholic teaching on support for bills like Ddl Zan.
In the Oct. 1 letter, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith listed the many times that Pope Francis has condemned gender ideology and said Catholic legislators must oppose laws inconsistent with Catholic teaching.
Toni Brandi, the president of Pro Vita & Famiglia, praised the Senate’s decision to drop the bill, saying on Oct. 27 that “the rejection of Ddl Zan is a victory for democracy, freedom of opinion and conscience, and the educational freedom of Italian families.”
“Among senators, the sense of the common good prevailed. Today we all won because all Italians have the right to express their fundamental freedoms and to think differently from the usual pro-LGBT mainstream,” a statement by the organization said.
The bill, which aimed to criminalize “discrimination or violence based on sex, gender or disability,” and add an annual day against “homophobia” and “transphobia” to the national calendar, had received significant support from public figures in Italy.