Catholics celebrating the special year will have to contend with the capital city's gay pride parade this year as the city fathers throw their wieght behind gays

he Vatican is irritated by the fact that the mayor of Rome has promised gays that the annual pride event will take place in the Italian capital during the Roman Catholic Holy Year.

The Vatican earlier this year renewed its unrelenting attack on the gay lifestyle in the form of a papal address.

"You might not go along with the `gay pride' event, but it would be a mistake to ban it," Mayor Francesco Rutelli was quoted by Sapa as saying.

Thousands of gays and lesbians are expected to arrive for the World Pride Roma 2000 celebration that coincides with the church's celebration of two millennia of christianity.

The city is currently overflowing with religious pilgrims coming to the Jubilee millennium celebrations called by the ultra conservative Pope John Paul II.

The mayor in addressing a council meeting was quoted by the news agency as saying "Rome has a millennium-old code of welcome and respect that won't change in 2000."

The Vatican last week had no official comment on the mayor's position or on rumours that the church had put pressure on the city council to have gay pride cancelled by the city fathers.

Italian state radio, RAI, however revealed that Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the pope's secretary of state, said during a reception Friday evening that the Vatican "expects from the premier a gesture of common sense." The church hopes that the Italian government will intervene to cancel gay pride celebrations.

But more sensational was the cardinal's statement that the city had a deal with the church approved by the then state head, the fascist Benito Mussolini.

an Electronic Mail & Guardian publication

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