Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service) - Three quarters of Italians clearly underlined an element which was undervalued in the electoral campaign. The fact that a referendum is not the right means for expressing views on sensitive issues such as fertility treatment, limits and rules of scientific research using stem cells which come so close to the origin of life itself and the juridical dignity of human life from the very first moment of conception.
The referendum divided the country subjecting politicians and people to an entirely unnecessary trauma. The results showed without a doubt that the referendum was an unnecessary mistake.
The victory goes not to Catholics but to good sense. The small number of voters underlined the need to rebuild channels of communication with the real country, to lower the tone of a campaign which portrayed adversaries as demons. It poses questions on the methods and the presuppositions of the society we want to build, our travelling companions with whom to share the work of creating a country of harmony where attention is really given to the weaker citizens, a nation which is modern, democratic and competitive.
The battle of this referendum can be salubrious if it serves to reject recurrent temptations to cultural or political hegemony of one part in a country where once again there emerges the absence of an identifiable majority and the need to work together. If we resist syndromes of defeat or victory this can be a new time of encounter between believers and non and for the centrality of Parliament.” (AP) (14/6/2005 Agenzia Fides; Righe:24; Parole:294)
