[Source: Reuters]
A church nativity scene which features two mothers of the Baby Jesus, instead of the conventional Mary and Joseph figurines, has sparked anger among conservative Catholics and politicians in Italy.
Nativity scenes are popular in this predominantly Catholic country, but in recent years they have been increasingly mired in culture wars as society becomes more secular and multicultural.
The priest of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, in Capocastello di Mercogliano, a village in the province of Avellino, about an hour east of Naples, defended his depiction of the birth of Jesus.
“With this scene I wanted to show that families are no longer just classic families,” Father Vitaliano Della Sala told Reuters.
“In our parishes we see more and more young people from the new types of families that exist and that are part of our society, young people from separated and divorced people, homosexual couples, single couples, young mothers.
Father Della Sala, known in Italy for his sympathetic and left-wing causes, says his stance is in line with that of Pope Francis, who this week, in a landmark decision, allowed same-sex couples to be blessed.
The petition has garnered more than 21,000 signatures.
Having children through surrogacy is illegal in Italy, and parliament is debating a government-sponsored law that would also criminalize couples who indulge in the practice by traveling abroad.
This week, a senator from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party proposed a bill that would prevent school principals from interrupting Catholic-themed activities, such as Christmas plays or the making of nativity scenes.