Italy's Draghi puts Vatican on guard over anti-homophobia bill

FILE PHOTO: Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi attends a news conference at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, June 21, 2021. Odd Andersen/Pool via REUTERS

ROME (Reuters) -Prime Minister Mario Draghi put the Vatican on notice on Wednesday not to interfere with a parliamentary debate over a draft law designed to combat homophobia, saying Italy was a secular state.

The Vatican earlier this month protested to the government over the contested bill, saying that in its present form it could restrict the religious freedom of the Catholic Church.