Italy: Bishop Cites ‘Moral Unease’ Over Public Figures
By RACHEL DONADIO
The head of the Italian bishops conference said Monday that Italians felt a “moral unease” toward their public figures, an indirect reference to a sex scandal in which magistrates accuse Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of compensating “a significant number” of women for sex. “Whoever accepts a public position must understand the sobriety, personal discipline, sense of measure and honor that come with it,” Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco said. His remarks were a sign of the rising pressure on Mr. Berlusconi. The Vatican secretary of state said last week that the Vatican was watching the scandal “with concern,” and the head of the leading industrialists’ organization said Sunday that she would support Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti as a possible replacement for Mr. Berlusconi. Mr. Berlusconi denies all wrongdoing and has vowed to fight on.
In his televised speech, Cardinal Bagnasco also warned that Italy was facing an “anthropological disaster”: A culture in which success is based on “artificiality,” “easy gain,” “ostentation” and “commercial objectification.”
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