Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has written a Christmas letter to the pope saying Christian values guide his government’s work, the latest evidence that the prime minister beset by a sex scandal is taking an increasingly pious tone as he eyes Catholic voters.
The letter follows a new Berlusconi mantra — “Love conquers hatred and envy” — and his public pardon of the man who recently assaulted him, breaking his nose and two teeth.
The attack, and images of a bleeding and shocked Berlusconi, generated a wave of sympathy for the prime minister and quieted at least temporarily Italy’s rancorous political discourse. By taking the moral high ground, analysts say, Berlusconi is capitalizing on that sympathy while also warming relations with the Vatican.
Berlusconi’s conservative forces have a solid majority in parliament, but his purported dalliances with a prostitute strained relations with the Catholic Church earlier this year. Such ties have long been politically important in the largely Roman Catholic country.
His recent overtures come amid continuing talk of the creation of a new centrist party to challenge Berlusconi’s People of Freedom party that would be headed by politicians close to the Vatican.
The sex scandal erupted in April after Berlusconi’s second wife, Veronica Lario, announced she was divorcing him, citing his presence at the birthday party of an 18-year-old model and his fondness for younger women.
After the story broke, several women — including a high-end prostitute — came forward to say they had been paid by a Berlusconi associate to attend parties at the prime minister’s homes. The prostitute produced what she said were audio recordings of the night the two purportedly spent together.
Berlusconi denied any improper relationships with women and said he had never paid a woman for sex. But he admitted he was “no saint” and promised to turn over a new leaf.
In the letter to Pope Benedict XVI, Berlusconi said Christmastime was an “important moment of reflection” for all, reminding every one of Christ’s message of peace and fraternity.
“I can confirm that the Christian values pronounced by the pontiff are always present in the action of my government, which will adopt all the measures necessary to guarantee peace and serenity in society,” he wrote.
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