Italian politicians on Wednesday expressed outrage over an anti-government rally at which two comics made personal attacks on the Pope, President Giorgio Napolitano and the Minister for Equal Opportunties.
The Rome rally on Tuesday evening had been called by Italy of Values (IDV) opposition leader and ex-graftbuster Antonio Di Pietro to protest against government justice policy.
But Di Pietro was quickly forced to distance himself from events following the attacks by Italian comics Beppe Grillo and Sabina Guzzanti and expressed regret that they detracted from the rally's aim.
Guzzanti provoked the most ire by attacking Pope Benedict XVI, saying that ''in 20 years he'll be dead and he'll go to hell to be tormented by two gay devils''.
She also gave voice to recent rumours about Equal Opportunities Minister Mara Carfagna by alleging that the ex-showgirl had had oral sex with Premier Silvio Berlusconi in return for political promotion.
Grillo meanwhile attacked Napolitano for giving a green light to a government bill that would give legal immunity to Berlusconi and for attending a music concert in Capri while Naples residents were protesting over the region's trash crisis.
The comic ended his tirade by telling the president to f*** off.
''Italy of Values as a whole and I personally disassociate with the unjust, unjustified and out-of-place comments expressed about the Pope and the President of the Republic,'' Di Pietro said.
Rome Vicariate expressed ''deep displeasure over the offensive words about the Holy Father'', adding that ''what took place does not deserve further comment''.
Democratic Party opposition leader Walter Veltroni - who also came under fire from Grillo - described the attacks on Napolitano as ''intolerable'', and Senate Speaker Renato Schifani opened Wednesday's session with a declaration of support for Napolitano, describing him as an ''example of wisdom and equilibrium''.
''I am sure I speak for the whole Senate when I express affectionate support and staunch solidarity with the President of the Republic and the Holy Father who have been subject to shameful verbal attacks,'' he added.
Carfagna on Wednesday described Guzzanti's attack on her as ''vulgar and fanciful'' and said she had told her lawyer to begin legal proceedings against the comic, who is the daughter of Paolo Guzzanti - an MP in Berlusconi's Forza Italia party.
Berlusconi, in Japan for the G8 summit, refused to be drawn on the events.
''Let's not talk about it,'' he told journalists. ''I can only say that despite the vulgar attacks I have been a victim of, public faith in me and in the government has grown,'' he added, referring to a recent opinion poll.
After distancing himself from the attacks on the pope and the president, Di Pietro on Wednesday said the polemics should not detract attention from the government's ''immorality and illegality''.
''As usual people are caught up in the detail and failing to see the big picture: yesterday almost 100,000 people came together spontaneously to protest against the government and a parliament compelled to make laws that make (Berlusconi) unpunishable,'' Di Pietro said.
The IDV originally called the rally to protest against two government justice bills that it claims have been tailor-made to help out the premier.
The so-called Alfano bill will give legal immunity to Italy's top four institutional figures while in office, while another will freeze trials for a year for certain less serious crimes committed before June 30, 2002.
The passing of either law in parliament would stymie an ongoing corruption trial involving Berlusconi and British corporate lawyer David Mills.
