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Draghi Defies Vatican's Reservations on LGBT Anti-Hate Law, Says Italy 'Is Secular State'

© REUTERS / POOLItaly's Prime Minister Mario Draghi speaks during a news conference after a cabinet meeting in Rome, Italy, March 19, 2021.
Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi speaks during a news conference after a cabinet meeting in Rome, Italy, March 19, 2021. - Sputnik International, 1920, 23.06.2021
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ROME (Sputnik) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Wednesday responded to the Vatican's complaint against the anti-homophobia draft law, which aims to protect the LGBT community, saying that the country's parliament has the right to freely discuss and pass laws as a secular state.

"Our state is a secular state. We are not a confessional state, therefore the parliament can freely discuss and pass any laws," Draghi told the parliament.

On Tuesday, the Holy See sent a diplomatic note to the Italian government protesting the draft law on the protection of the LGBT community from hatred and violence.

In this Saturday, May 8, 2021 file photo, people gather to support  the so-called Zan Law, named for a Democratic Party lawmaker and gay rights activist Alessandro Zan. The Vatican has formally opposed proposed Italian legislation that seeks expand anti-discrimination protections to people who are gay and transgender, along with women and people with disabilities, the leading Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported on Tuesday. Activists immediately denounced Vatican meddling in the Italian legislative process as “unprecedented.” Italian politicians and activist groups reacted strongly to what they see as an attempt to derail the so-called Zan Law. - Sputnik International, 1920, 22.06.2021
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Draghi noted that Italian legislation ensures compliance with all constitutional principles and international obligations, including the concordat with the Church.

"The principle of secularity ... does not imply the indifference of the State to religions but rather a guarantee of State protection of the freedom of religion, in a regime of confessional and cultural pluralism," the prime minister read out a clause from the Italian Constitutional Court's judgment of 1989.

The Holy See, in turn, believes that the law violates the Lateran Pacts, which regulate relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Italian state. In the letter to the Italian government, the Vatican has also asked to amend the provisions of the bill, as it jeopardizes the civil liberties of Catholic believers.
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