"These reflections it is further written in the Note by the Permanent Council of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, made known today do not compromise the acknowledgement of the dignity of every person; we confirm our respect and our pastoral concern to all". However, with reference to the "presentation of a few bills of law which intend to legalize civil unions", the bishops recall that "the law does not exist with the aim of giving juridical shape to any kind of life in common, or supplying ideological acknowledgments. On the other hand, the law’s objective is to guarantee public responses to social needs exceeding the private dimension of existence". "We are aware", went on the bishops, of the existence of "concrete situations in which juridical protections and guarantees may be useful for the person living together with someone. By principle, we are not against this kind of attention. However, we firmly believe that it is possible to pursue this objective within individual rights, without conceiving a new juridical figure which would be an alternative to marriage and the family, and would produce more damage than the one it intends to repair". (To be continued)
