Marriages between Catholics and Muslims can have ''dramatic'' consequences on the children because of cultural differences, the No.2 of the Italian Bishops Conference (CEI) said Thursday.
Such marriages are ''not to be encouraged,'' said CEI Secretary-General Msgr Mariano Crociata.
A recent CEI study showed that people in such marriages tended over time to return to the social, cultural and religious relations they had before getting married, Msgr Crociata said.
This entailed ''sometimes dramatic consequences which fall on their children,'' he warned.
Requests from Catholics for permission to marry Muslims should therefore be handled ''with great prudence,'' the CEI secretary-general said.
Crociata said the problem could be eased by a greater integration of Muslims.
Marriages between Italians and immigrants have surged in recent years, according to the Catholic charity Caritas.
Some 10% of the marriages are now between Muslims and Catholics.
The biggest problems in mixed marriages have to do with children, especially where Muslim or North African men are concerned, Caritas said.
By custom and religion these men have a strong perception of their domestic entitlements - a fact that can lead to growing tension, it said.
The Muslim tradition of female subservience often leads to marital break-down, even though most Italian women convert to Islam, the recent report said.
There have been cases of fathers kidnapping their children to bring them back to more patriarchal societies.
Given the tension sparked by these crucial cultural mismatches, mixed marriages can be short, the report said.
The current average duration is just five years in Milan, compared to 13 years in the southern melting-pot port of Lecce, the report said.
Catholic religious instruction in Italian schools - no longer compulsory, but without alternatives - was also cited by some couples as a problem.
Pope Benedict XVI has repeatedly called for the greater integration of immigrants into Italian society, saying they are a much-needed resource.
