(About the Cirinnà Bill of Law on civil unions] The passing of this Act will finally make Italy a more modern and more civilised country.

(About the Cirinnà Bill of Law on civil unions] I speak as a Christian, a Christian full of doubts and, for the most part, with many unanswered questions, but isn't the doubt that dwells in the deepest part of our conscience the sign of a search and a faith that is not a comforting doctrine but a constant quest to make sense of our lives? As a Christian, I deplore a Church which, despite Pope Francis’ openness , remains stuck on positions that are incompatible with a modern conscience, and, again as a Christian, I am not afraid to admit that Italy’s backwardness in terms of rights and modernity can also be explained by the conservatism and political clericalism of a section of Catholic culture.