Italy: unfair system

Since 2011 onwards in Lombardia, some 16 places of worship of various Evangelical groups have been closed.

Most of these buildings were used by migrant churches which ordinarily find it more difficult to find legal protection and are often hesitant to be outspoken about their problems. In 2005 a regional law was passed that allowed the local police to check whether or not these buildings were registered as places of worship. Its motivation was to control the presence of Muslim places for prayer but it was also a form of hostility towards foreigners.

Complex situation

Normally, local police would receive complaints by the neighbourhood for noise or parking issues. Then they would check the status of the building and discover that it is not registered as a place for worship but as a shop, warehouse, garage, etc. So they would come back with an order from the city council and close them.

As always, the situation is complex to assess. On one hand, if you rent a building the building will likely not to be registered as a place of worship but as a shop because it is easier to rent a shop than a place of worship and because changing status is costly and time-consuming. Most Italian-speaking churches that rent buildings find themselves in the same situation. On the other hand, when you close a place of worship you are dealing with the constitutional right of freely professing your faith in a public way.

Standing wider issues

The wider Italian context does not help. The Italian Parliament has been discussing a religious liberty law for 40 years. Meanwhile in the absence of a new law, we still have fascist legislation, passed by Mussolini in 1929, which discriminated against minorities.

In recent years, single churches and small denominations have been finding it extremely hard to see their ministers recognised by the State. The State is using the same criterion applied to Roman Catholic parishes: a church can have a recognised minister if it has more than 500 members. Non-Catholic churches often have smaller congregations.

The overall system is totally biased in favour of the Roman Catholic Church. In public schools, Catholicism is taught by Catholic teachers. They are chosen by their bishops and paid for by all tax-payers. Public policies are more often inclined to confirm and allow privileges toward the Catholic Church in many areas (tax-system, funding of church building and initiatives, etc.). The national media broadcaster (RAI) has a Vatican department daily providing the nation with all kinds of information about the pope and the Catholic Church. Almost nothing is done to inform about religious pluralism. The Catholic Church wants to keep her privileges of public funding and political backing and does not support religious liberty. The Italian Evangelical Alliance has been working hard to lobby for a religious liberties law that would erase the remnant of the fascist legislation and introduce a fair framework for all religious groups.