Rocco Buttiglione (; born 6 June 1948) is an Italian Union of Christian and Centre Democrats politician and an academic. Buttiglione's nomination for a post as European Commissioner with a portfolio that was to include civil liberties, resulted in controversy as some political groups opposed him for his conservative Catholic views on homosexuality, despite his assurances that these were only his personal convictions and would not dictate his administration. Buttiglione is a Professor of political science at Saint Pius V University in Rome, and member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. He served as a minister for EU policies (from 2001 to 2005) and then as Minister for Cultural Assets and Activities (from 2005 to 2006) in Silvio Berlusconi's governments. In 2005 Buttiglione received an honorary doctoral degree from Guatemalan Francisco Marroquín University for his commitment to the ideas of liberty. In May 2006, he unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Turin. Early career Rocco Buttiglione was born in Gallipoli, Apulia, on the "heel" of Italy. He studied law in Turin and Rome and became a Professor of political science at Saint Pius V University in Rome. He was also a professor of philosophy and acting rector at the International Academy for Philosophy in Liechtenstein. Rocco Buttiglione first attained attention on the Italian political stage when in 1994 he became secretary of the Italian People's Party, the largest of the parties that emerged from the collapse of Christian Democracy, formerly the largest party in Italy since the Second World War, after the Tangentopoli corruption scandals. The People's Party had presented itself along with Patto Segni in the centrist alliance Pact for Italy, in which it came third after Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right Pole of Freedoms/Pole of Good Government and the centre-left Alliance of Progressives. Buttiglione eventually joined forces with Berlusconi and the Northern League, led by Umberto Bossi, to win the 2001 election. Buttiglione was elected a Parliamentary Deputy for Milan in May 2001, and joined Berlusconi's new government as the European Union Policy Minister. From 2005-06 Buttiglione was Minister for Cultural Assets and Activities. Nominee for the European Commission Background to the nomination Following an increase of popular support for his socially conservative Catholic political party, the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC), at a time of political difficulty for Silvio Berlusconi's government, the UDC leader, Marco Follini, asked for more influence in the government. At this point the