Vatican Secretary of State explains concern about Italian anti-homophobia bill (Crux)

In a leaked diplomatic note, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States, registered opposition to proposed legislation against “homophobia” in Italy. In doing so, he invoked the rights of the Holy See under the 1929 Lateran Treaty—prompting a backlash from Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

In an Italian-language interview, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State, said that “in no way has [Italy] been asked to block the law.” Instead, the Vatican wished to register its concern, before the bill’s passage, about its vagueness: it may make “any possible distinction between man and woman” a criminal offense. “The need for definition is particularly important because the legislation moves in an area of criminal relevance where, as is well noted, what is allowed and what is forbidden must be well determined.”