Irish vote reverberates across Italy

Pope Francis was silent on Ireland's same-sex marriage vote at the Pentecost Mass. Photo / AP

Ireland's vote in favour of same-sex marriage reverberated across Italy yesterday, as Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's lieutenants called for a civil partnership law to be fast-tracked through Parliament.

Italy is now the only western European country that does not recognise either same-sex marriage or civil unions.

The fact that the Irish referendum garnered an unexpectedly strong 62 per cent "Yes" vote in such a deeply Catholic country has rallied supporters of the Italian law, which has been languishing in Parliament for months.

Several editorials in Italian papers yesterday suggested that a referendum in Italy would have a similar outcome, recalling the divorce referendum in 1974, when 60 per cent of Italian voters went against the wishes of the Catholic Church on the issue.

La Repubblica reported Renzi confided privately that in the wake of the Ireland vote the question of civil unions in Italy can no longer be put off. Many of his key Government members and party allies spoke in favour of expediting the proposed legislation.

"What joy," said Roberto Speranza, leader of Renzi's centre-Left Democratic Party, of the result. "Now it is Italy's turn."

"The moment has arrived, finally, to approve this before the summer's end," said the Democratic senator Andrea Marcucci.

"Ireland is giving us a lesson in civility," said the gay Italian politician Nichi Vendola, president of the Apulia region since 2005.

Laura Boldrini, speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, said Ireland was giving Italy a much-needed push forward. "It is time that Italy has a civil unions law," Boldrini said on Twitter. "To be European means to recognise rights."

Ireland is the 13th EU country to recognise gay marriage. Many countries, such as Germany, allow civil partnerships but are yet to permit marriage, while Cyprus, Greece and most of Eastern Europe still do not officially recognise any form of same-sex union.

Italy's proposed civil partnership law - based on the German model - gives same-sex couples many of the same rights as married couples, as well as the option of stepchild adoption, which allows a partner to adopt the biological child of the other partner.

But the law is stuck in a Senate committee, where it has been bombarded with 4320 amendments, and does not mention marriage.

How the Vatican will respond is unclear. Pope Francis remained silent on the Irish vote during his Pentecost address.