Rome’s St John Lateran square was literally bursting at the seams on Saturday 20 June as more than a million people gathered in support of the family and to protest against the introduction of “gender ideology” in schools.
While a similar Family Day, largely organised by ecclesial leaders, had taken place in the same location eight years prior, this particular occasion saw the laity lead the charge as families braved appalling weather to voice an idea of progress that prioritises the safety of children.
The aim of the event was to support children’s rights to have a mother and a father, to rally against ideology that questions the complementarity of men and women in the name of a freer and more just society and to assert that children should not be taught sex education from infancy.
Zenit this week reported the gathering as the planting of a small seed that may not alter the political direction Italy is taking, but which could generate a thriving forest and change the future of the country.
It labelled the event a major achievement and attributed its success to the inclusive, apolitical and non-denominational approach of all those involved.
Elsewhere the National Catholic Register reported that the Family Day was organised by a coalition of pro-life and pro-family groups, including the Italian Difendiamo i Nostri Figli (Let’s Defend our Children) committee, who wished to “reaffirm the right of a mum and a dad to educate their children and stop the ideological canonisation of gender theory in schools and parliament.”
According to the testimonies of organisers reported in the NCR, one of the goals was to impede the passing the “Cirinnà bill,” a legislation introduced by Italian socialist Senator Monica Cirinnà that proposes giving same-sex couples the same rights as married couples.
Italian bishops have publically opposed the bill, claiming that it does not speak on behalf of the Italian people, represents “ideological enforcement” and tends to introduce confusion to the idea of a family “based on a marriage between a man and a woman.”
The speakers addressing the vast crowd included renowned pro-life and pro-family journalist Costanza Miriano, editor of La Croce newspaper Mario Adinolfi, legal experts Simone Pillon and Gianfranco Amato, psychologists Marco Scicchitano and spokesman for Difendiamo i Nostri Figli Massimo Gandolfini, and founder of the Neocatechumenal Way, Kiko Argüello.
Orthodox, Muslim and Sikh leaders also spoke to those gathered while the chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni and Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President for the Pontifical Council for the Family, both sent messages of support.
Earlier this month Pope Francis again spoke on the challenges of gender ideology in a meeting with the bishops of the Caribbean archipelago and reiterated the urgent need to focus on the pastoral care of the family.