Pop singer Lady Gaga has been warnedagainst making provocative statements against Pope Benedict or theCatholic Church at this weekend's giant Gay Pride event EuroPride2011 taking place in Rome.
Organizers said they expect roughly onemillion revelers to attend the annual parade. A huge turn out forthe traveling party that attracted a meager crowd of 8,000 last yearin Warsaw, Poland, where anti-gay sentiment remains high.
Among Western European countries, Italyis a dawdler in terms of gay rights, offering neither civilpartnerships nor marriage for gay and lesbian couples as mostcountries have.
Several conservative lawmakers hadwarned the Born This Way singer – a strong proponent of gayrights – against making provocative statements when she took thestage on Saturday at the city's Circus Maximus at 9PM.
“The gay world does not feelrepresented by someone who makes videos that offend Jesus,” RoccoButtiglione, the deputy speaker of parliament, told the UK's DailyTelegraph.
“If Lady Gaga attacks the Holy Fatheror the Catholic Church millions of gay moderates will not recognizethemselves in those comments,” he added.
“Maybe she is badly informed aboutour country since all the opinion polls prove that an overwhelmingmajority of Italians are against marriage between a man and a man anda woman and a woman,” said Carlo Giovanardi, a junior minister forfamily policy.
PopeBenedict is a vocal opponent of marriage equality.
In March, theVatican condemned a United Nations Human Rights Council resolutionthat called on countries “to take steps to end acts of violence,criminal sanctions and related human rights violations committedagainst individuals because of their sexual orientation or genderidentity.
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