A Cabinet minister resisted calls for his resignation today, after his decision to wear a T-shirt featuring cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad was blamed for sparking deadly clashes at an Italian consulate in Libya.

An Italian cabinet minister from a right-wing party was today quoted as he planned to wear T-shirts bearing some of the prophet cartoons which have inflamed much of the Muslim world.

POPE Benedict, speaking out on hot topics that will figure in the campaigning for this year’s Italian general elections, yesterday condemned gay marriage and the use of the so-called “abortion pill.”

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi told parliament today he disagreed with some of the US military’s conclusions into the March shooting death of an Italian agent in Baghdad, but insisted those differences won’t affect Italy’s friendship with Washington or the deployment of Italian troops in Iraq.

Italy is expected to pick apart US conclusions on the shooting by American soldiers of an Italian agent in Baghdad, challenging a report that cleared US troops of any wrongdoing in the incident.