Berlusconi: Relations with the Vatican "excellent as always"
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi denies any tensions with the Vatican. His relationship with the Vatican—and that of his government—is «as excellent as ever,» the prime minister said in an interview with his TV station, Canale 5, on Monday.
Italy's head of government Silvio Berlusconi denies tensions with the Vatican. His relations and those of his government with the Vatican are "as always excellent", the Prime Minister said in an interview with his TV channel Canale 5 on Monday, according to SDA. Berlusconi complained about a "subversive and wild campaign" directed against him with the aim of forcing him to resign and topple the center-right government. The will of the people, who elected him, was being ignored.
The resignation of the editor-in-chief of the Catholic daily newspaper L'Avvenire, Dino Boffo, who had attacked Berlusconi over his private life, caused outrage in Catholic circles last week. The President of the Italian Bishops' Conference, Angelo Bagnasco, said that Boffo had been the victim of an "unqualifiable media attack".
Speaking to Canale 5, Berlusconi expressed his conviction that the various scandals to date have not affected his popularity. "I am proud of these first 14 months in office," he emphasized. According to polls, his popularity is at 70 percent. "The majority of Italians would like to be like me and agree with my behavior. The Italians know that Berlusconi protects them from those who want to turn Italy into a fiscal police state," he said. He denied that there was no media freedom in Italy because he monopolized the TV landscape. This is "a joke of this communist and Catholic-communist minority, which controls 90 percent of the newspapers in Italy."
The resignation of the editor-in-chief of the Catholic daily newspaper L'Avvenire, Dino Boffo, who had attacked Berlusconi over his private life, caused outrage in Catholic circles last week. The President of the Italian Bishops' Conference, Angelo Bagnasco, said that Boffo had been the victim of an "unqualifiable media attack".
Speaking to Canale 5, Berlusconi expressed his conviction that the various scandals to date have not affected his popularity. "I am proud of these first 14 months in office," he emphasized. According to polls, his popularity is at 70 percent. "The majority of Italians would like to be like me and agree with my behavior. The Italians know that Berlusconi protects them from those who want to turn Italy into a fiscal police state," he said. He denied that there was no media freedom in Italy because he monopolized the TV landscape. This is "a joke of this communist and Catholic-communist minority, which controls 90 percent of the newspapers in Italy."
