The Vatican had registered its opposition to the legislation on the grounds that it would restrict religious freedom.
The Italian senate has blocked a bill that the Vatican has warned would infringe on religious liberty. The bill would have criminalized “homophobic” statements.
Earlier this year, the Holy See made a diplomatic intervention protesting the legislative proposal, saying that if it became law, anyone speaking out in favor of the traditional family structure would be subject to penalty.
“The law sought to punish acts of discrimination and incitement to violence against gay, lesbian, transgender and disabled people,” Agence France-Presse reported. “But critics of the law said it risked endangering freedom of expression and would have paved the way for homosexual propaganda in schools.”
The vote was 154-131 against the legislation.
