I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance

Nearly 90% of Italians call themselves Catholics, but more than two-thirds favour legal recognition for unmarried couples despite opposition from the Church, according to a study sociologists say is evidence that Italians tailor their religion tofit their lifestyles.

"It's tailor-made religion," Domenico De Masi, a sociologist at Rome's La Sapienza university, said on Thursday. "We take from the pope whatever suits us. The parts that are outrageous get taken out."

Catholicism is very prohibitionist, and therefore a person has to create her own beliefs; otherwise it's impossible," said Virginia Liberini (22) a student in Rome who said she is a Catholic.She cited the Church's ban on condoms."It's counterproductive, even on a sanitary level," added Liberini, who is not a student of De Masi's.

About 73% of Catholics favour abortion when the foetus appears to be malformed, and 62% approve of it in the case of rape, according to the survey."At no time in history has there been such a strong split between what people want and what the Church wants," De Masi said.

Elisa Bevilacqua, a 23-year-old medical student, said she is a Catholic who goes to Mass "most of the time," and is in favour of abortion and legal rights for unmarried couples."I believe very much in the Christian message, which I think is based on love and forgiveness," Bevilacqua said. "I don't think this clashes with being in favour of abortion." - Sapa-AP

We are a Church for sinners, thank God.