(Crux. By Crux Staff).
ROME – While conflict is churning both inside Italy and across Europe over a new plan by the Italian government to include pro-life groups among the consulters to publicly funded family planning clinics which issue certificates women need to have an abortion, the country’s bishops so far largely have sat out the debate. In part, that may reflect a troubled history among some of the country’s leading pro-life groups and the new leadership of the Italian bishops’ conference under Pope Francis, which takes a dim view of groups that seem to take their cues from aggressive American pro-life organizations.