Italian 'Mummy's Boys' Told by Church That 'Mamma' One of the Biggest Risks to Marriage

Italian men are traditionally very close to their mothers

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Catholic church has warned that Italian men's adoration of their mothers is harming their marriages

The Italian male deference to their mothers may be seen from afar as an endearing trait – as joyously traditional a part of their heritage as pizza, pasta and Prosecco.

But the Catholic Church has issued a grave warning that "mammismo" – the classic attachment between Italian men and their mothers – is one of the biggest risks to marriage in the country today.

"Marriage has to be an act of free will and awareness," said Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa and president of the country's bishops conference.

"When you rely totally on your parents for every step, a spouse does not know what to do or not to do because he's constantly seeking the consensus of a third person." Read on and comment » | Josephine McKenna, Rome | Sunday, February 16, 2014