A same-sex church nativity scene depicting two mothers of baby Jesus has drawn the ire of conservative Catholics and politicians in Italy, The Independent reports.
The priest of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Capocastello di Mercogliano, in the province of Avellino, an hour’s drive east of Naples, has come out in defence of a unique depiction of the birth of Jesus instead of the usual figures of Mary and Joseph. Father Vitaliano Della Sala told Reuters:
“I wanted to show with this scene that families are no longer just the traditional ones. In our parishes we see more and more children from the new types of families that exist and are part of our society, children of separated and divorced people, gay couples, single people, young mothers.”
Father Della Sala, known in Italy for being an LGBT sympathiser, says his position is in line with that of Pope Francis, who earlier this week allowed priests to bless same-sex couples.
However, Senator Maurizio Gasparri of the ruling Forza Italia party said the LGBT creche “offends all those who have always treated the Holy Family with respect and devotion”. The group Pro-Vita & Famiglia (“For Life and Family”) called it “dangerous as well as shameful and sacrilegious”.
Pro-Vita, which has launched an online petition calling on Bishop Avellino to intervene, said the nativity scene contradicts Church teaching on the family and legitimises same-sex parenthood and surrogacy. So far, 21,000 signatures have been collected.
Surrogacy is illegal in Italy and a government-backed law is being debated in parliament that would also criminalise couples who resort to the practice abroad.
This week, a senator from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party proposed another bill that would ban school principals from stopping Catholic-themed activities such as Christmas plays or making nativity scenes.
