Roman Chief Rabbi supports Church on same-sex unions

Briefing.

From CFNews: A Jewish leader has unexpectedly entered the fray in support of the Catholic Church's position against the legal recognition of homosexual unions. The proposal is being considered under the more generic and less alarming terminology of 'de facto couples.' In a long article just published in the Jewish monthly Shalom, Riccardo Di Segni, Rome's chief rabbi, called the legal recognition of homosexual couples 'unacceptable' and rebuked the other Italian Jewish leaders for their 'strange silence on this hotly debated issue.' He urged the Jewish community to speak out against the Italian government's plans to give certain rights to cohabiting heterosexual and same-sex couples under a bill known as DICO. He noted that this silence was in strong contrast to the Catholic Church's active condemnation of the DICO bill and said there were 'good reasons to break it.' The bill, which has yet to win parliamentary approval, has in fact come under repeated attacks from the Catholic Church. which has expressed particular alarm over its extension to homosexual partners. 'Society is about to make a decision which, according to our traditions, abundantly exceeds permitted limits and it is our duty to oppose these decisions and not remain indifferent,' Di Segni said. Under the terms of the DICO bill, cohabiting couples would be able to register their union, obtaining certain financial and inheritance rights and 'next of kin' rights if their loved one is physically or mentally incapacitated or in a hospital. [The Wanderer]