Italy considers same-sex contracts

ROME, July 6 (UPI) -- As Italy debates legal rights for same-sex couples, a cardinal said recognition of unmarried couples puts Western civilization "on a slippery slope."

"The sense of God is being blurred," said Cardinal Renato Martino, who heads the Vatican's Justice and Peace Department.

Martino's remarks came two days before the closing of a conference on the family in Valencia, Spain, sponsored by the Vatican, Ansa reported.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi supports legal recognition of unmarried couples that would give them some tax and inheritance benefits. They would also be each other's legal next of kin.

Recent polls show that nine out of 10 Italians favor rights for unmarried heterosexual couples and more than 80 percent favor rights for same-gender couples. Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands have homosexual marriage, although many European countries have adopted contracts for unmarried couples.