By Jess McCabe | 26 May 2006, 13:39

Based on this slightly odd story on LifeSiteNews, the Vatican’s newspaper has hit out at newly elected Italian ministers for expressing their opinions on “sensitive” issues such as abortion and sexuality.

The providence of this story is unclear, because the website appears to be pro-life at first glance. But if it is accurate, it reveals not so much the anti-choice, anti-gay bias of Rome (we knew that already funnily enough), but just how anti-woman it is.

L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s official newspaper rebuked Italy’s health minister, Livia Turco, for her support of the deadly abortion drug, RU-486 which it called the weapon for “carefree murder.” Turco had called the drug which has killed a “safe and alternative method” of abortion. The L’Osservatore Romano editorial also took Family Minister, Rosy Bindi to task for her support for legal recognition of homosexual partnerings. “The haste in which new ministers are lining up to assert their intentions on particularly sensitive themes is disconcerting,” the editorial said. “It’s feminism we frankly did not feel the need for.”

Quite clearly, the newspaper is rebuking these ministers for expressing their opinions. It’s OK for women to hold office then, but they better keep their mouths shut. Hilarious, if only for how overt it is.

The story also reveals that newly elected prime minister Romani Prodi is not too pleased with his outspoken ministers either.