Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, the head of the Italian Bishops Conference, said that civil unions between gay men and women only serve to "confuse people" and undermine traditional family life.

This is especially so if the couples go on to have children, either through adoption or through donor methods, he added.

Cardinal Bagnasco's warning comes only weeks after an interim report from the synod on the family had praised the "gifts" gays and lesbians offer the Church.

It also noted the "precious support" same-sex partners give to one other.

These statements did not make it into the final report from the synod.

But Cardinal Bagnasco told a meeting of Italian bishops in Assisi that "it is irresponsible to weaken the family by creating new forms".

"It only confuses people and has the effect of being a sort of Trojan horse, undermining culturally and socially the core of humanity," The Telegraph reported him saying.

Children "have a right to a mother and a father", Cardinal Bagnasco told the bishops.

Cardinal Bagnasco's remarks were interpreted as an attack on the increasing number of mayors in Italy who have recently made a point of recognising gay marriages performed overseas.

Same-sex marriage is illegal in Italy, but couples who have tied the knot in foreign countries have sought recognition from their local councils by registering their unions in town halls.

The action by mayors around the country earned a rebuke from Angelino Alfano, who is both deputy prime minister and interior minister.

Last month he ordered mayors to stop recognising gay marriages performed in other countries.

A survey last year showed that 85 per cent of Italians supported the idea of recognising civil unions which give same-sex partners more rights.

But the same poll showed that only 25 per cent were in favour of full gay marriage.

Sources

• The Telegraph
• CNN
• Image: National Catholic Reporter

Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, president of the Italian bishops' conference, said Italian law does not require it and victims may not want it.

The guidelines, published in revised form in late March, were called for by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

In 2010, the Vatican instructed bishops to report abuse to police, but only where required by law.

The Italian guidelines cite a 1985 agreement between the Vatican and Italy that stated that clergy aren't obliged to tell magistrates about information obtained through their religious ministry.

But the guidelines remind bishops they have a moral duty to contribute to the common good.

Cardinal Bagnasco argued the guidelines did not represent a "no" to mandatory reporting; rather they were the expression of concern for the victims' right to privacy.

"We priests have to be very careful to respect the privacy, discretion and sense of reserve [of victims], we've got to be sensitive to the trauma of victims who do not want to be thrust into the public eye . . . ," he said.

Cardinal Bagnasco said the Church's moral obligation towards victims counts for much more than its juridical obligations.

The abuse survivors group SNAP were highly critical of the Italian guidelines.

They said: "The stunning, depressing and irresponsible contradiction between what Vatican officials say about abuse and do about abuse continues."

They also criticised Pope Francis for not amending the Vatican requirement, which "give Italian bishops permission to ignore or conceal the rape of boys or girls", they charged.

Victims' lobby groups argue that, while the right of victims and their families to privacy and discretion is justified, a primary concern must be to ensure no existing sex offender gets to abuse more children in future because he has not been reported to state authorities.

Sources

• The Tablet
• Irish Times
• Fox News
• Image: Yahoo

Besides offering support and prayers at the site of the crash, Cardinal Bagnasco also visited survivors in hospital, the Apostleship of the Sea reported.

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