Catholics and centre-right politicians have expressed dismay and outrage after a participant at Saturday’s Cremona Pride carried around a topless mannequin dressed up to look like the Virgin Mary at the event celebrating the LGBT community.
On Sunday dozens of the northern city’s Christians gathered in the centre to pray together and try to repair the “damage” of the “act of desecration”.
Mayor Gianluca Galimberti has come under fire following the incident because the city council endorsed the gay pride march.
On Monday centre-right lawmakers Maurizio Gasparri and Paola Binetti, said in a statement that they had asked Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese to look into the “despicable, outrageous gesture”.
They also called on Lamorgese to adopt “all the necessary measures to guarantee the full respect of Christians’ rights and prevent similar episodes in future”.