04 December 2008 :

“The opposition of the Apostolic nuncio to the proposed statement is equivalent to condoning those who discriminate against homosexuals, even with the death penalty.” This was said in a joint statement by Radical-PD Senator Marco Perduca and Alessandro Capriccioli, a member of the National Committee of Italian Radicals.
France intends to present the resolution to the UN, on behalf of the European Union, to decriminalise homosexuality around the world.
The Vatican’s permanent observer to the UN, Monsignor Migliore, after having reminded how the catechism condemns discrimination against homosexuals, actually contends that it would “add new categories of those protected from discrimination” and would create “new and implacable discriminations, for example against those in nations that don’t recognise gay marriage.”
For the Radical exponents, “after Monsignor Betori openly condemned the principle of self determination some weeks ago, the Holy See today returns to pronouncing in an explicit mode against the defence of civil rights. In the case in question, it not only takes a position against the rights of gay people (a situation that per sé is nothing new), but even openly aligns with countries that deny gay rights ferociously. These countries are also often the ones in which Christians are persecuted to death."