http://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/italian-court-orders-destruction-of-gay-union-registries
Italian Court: Destroy All Gay ‘Marriage’ Registries
Italy's highest court has ordered every city to destroy same-sex marriage registries
by Miles Swigart • October 29, 2015 17 COMMENTS
ROME, Oct. 29, 2015 (ChurchMilitant.com) - The Council of State, Italy's highest administrative court, ruled Tuesday that all Italian cities must destroy registries of same-sex "marriages."
This highly controversial order comes in response to the Italian Premier's recent pledge to legalize same-sex civil unions by the end of the year.
Premier Matteo Renzi, a social progressive, agrees with many in his nation that Italy's lack of same-sex union laws are a national embarassment, Italy being the last prominent European nation not to have such legislation.
The Church tried in vain to subvert Matteo's agenda immediately, with Bp. Nunzio Galentino, secretary general of the Italian Bishops' Conference, denouncing the idea and stating it is unthinkable that a government would try to erode the family.
Though the Church may have held great political power in Italian politics in the past, the bishop's intervention fell on deaf ears. After years of bad catechesis and scandals, the Church is no longer regarded as a moral authority to guide consciences, and Matteo continued to fulfill his pledge.
However, an unexpected intervention came from the Council of State, which responded to Interior Minister Angelino Alfano's strong opposition to Matteo's progressive agenda.
Last year my circular banning the transcription of gay marriages contracted abroad drew controversy, sometimes even violent aggression and a hail of appeals. Now the Council of State has borne me out entirely: Marriage between two people of the same sex is not contemplated under Italian law, therefore the transcriptions made by local mayors are illegal and monitoring is the competence of the prefect. Very good.
Among the cities that recognized foreign marriage contracts of same-sex couples were Rome and Bologna, and this measure was a blow to gay activists who tired of waiting for lawmakers to give them civil union rights in Italy, with undersecretary Benedetto Della Vedova describing the ruling as "a victory for none and a defeat for all."
Alfano, however, said the ruling showed he was right to take a stand despite having provoked "controversy, sometimes violent aggression and a hail of appeals."
"Let us be clear. Marriage between two people of the same sex is not contemplated under Italian law, therefore the transcriptions made by local mayors are illegal," he stated.
The bill introducing civil unions for same-sex couples is still being examined by parliament despite fierce opposition, and Matteo seems unswayed by the ruling. With his time running out, however, it is questionable whether he can pass legislation before the year is up.