In Italy the homosexual couples must live without any civil right. The reason ? The incredible (and outrageous) power of the pope and of the catholic church. The politicians don't dare to challenge the wrath of the pope becuse they are coward and fear to lose votes. This problem is dramatic here in Italy because the pope is a sort of political-ethic authority and fights every day his personal war against all the sexual differences. I think Italy is a nation with a limited sovereignity, a semi-teocratic country without any real laicity of the institutions. The Vatican stops any attempt to introduce civil rights for the homosexual couples and spreads prejudices and superstitions against transexuals and shemale-lovers.
I think the intolerance of the sacerdotal caste against the sexual differences is one of the most dramatic problems in the world ( see also the Islam)
