The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is located in Strasbourg and acts as an international judicial body that monitors how member states deal with human rights issues. The ECHR has been in operation since 1950 and all forty seven states of the Council of Europe take part.
On November 10, 2009 the court ruled that crucifixes hanging in Italy's public schools violated the principle of secular education.
Italy's Catholic Roots
The history of Italy and the Catholic Church are intimately intertwined. Not only did Christianity come to fruition under the ancient Roman Empire, but the very capital of the Catholic Church, the Vatican, is within its borders. During Catholicism's two-thousand-year history in Italy, the nation has produced some of the religion's greatest leaders and thinkers.
For years, Italian students have worked in classrooms with crucifix displayed prominently above the blackboard. Mariastella Gelmini, the Italian Minister of Education stated that, “Our Constitution rightly recognizes a particular value of the Catholic religion. The crucifix represents Italy and to defend its presence in schools means to defend our tradition.”
The Changing Face of Italy
The nation of Italy has changed greatly over the past twenty to thirty years with a large number of immigrants moving to its temperate northern cities. With the advent of the European Union, an immigration wave has brought as many as four million people from surrounding European nations, from Eastern Europe and Asia. Over 800,000 Romanians, many of them Gypsies, are recent arrivals in the northern half of the nation.
The influx of non-Christians has caused tensions in the largely Catholic nation. The ECHR ruling on crucifixes came in response to a complaint by Soile Lautsi, an Italian citizen of Finish roots, living near Padua. She had requested that her local public school remove the crosses, as she felt they impinged on her right to raise her children in a secular manner. The ensuing eight-year court battle resulted in the ECHR ruling, which awarded her compensation of five-thousand Euros for moral damages.
The ECHR Ruling Against Crucifixes
The ruling, in part, stated that, "The presence of the crucifix could be ... disturbing for pupils who practiced other religions or were atheists, particularly if they belonged to religious minorities.” The court added that the displaying of crucifixes, “restricted the right of parents to educate their children in conformity with their convictions.”
The reaction to the ruling was swift and deep. Those voicing concern ran from senior officials at the Vatican and the Italian Parliament to local political groups. Some sensed the irony that at a time when the Vatican is attempting to reach out to like-minded religions, as evidenced by Pope Benedict's recent engagement of British Anglicans, Europe seems to be pushing greater secularization.
According to foreign minister Franco Frattini, "At a time when we're trying to bring religions closer together, this is a blow to Christianity.”
Those who found this article interesting may enjoy reading Stigmata-Stigmatics who bore the wounds of Christ and The Medjugorje Marion Apparitions.
Steve Brady - Steve is a freelance writer, a middle school English teacher and the owner of Quality-Resumes, an online resume writing and editing ...
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