Every year in Italy, increasing numbers of people are choosing to go through the simple process of de-baptism, which became available 20 years ago at the behest of the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (abbreviated in Italian as UAAR).
The Diocese of Brescia, east of Milan, said in August that 75 people had already asked to be de-baptised in 2021, as opposed to 27 in the whole of 2020. The UAAR claims that more than 100,000 people have now been de-baptised in Italy.
The Roman Catholic Church quibbles with the word ‘de-baptism’, as it is not an accurate theological term. But the Personal Data Protection Authority of Italy now states that everyone has the right to abandon the church. A de-baptism is finalised once an applicant declares the intention to leave and the decision is registered by the church authorities.
The reasons behind de-baptism vary from person to person. But many of the de-baptised described their choice as a matter of ‘coherence’. So 23-year-old Pietro Groppi, who was de-baptised last May, said that the first question he asked himself before sending his form was: ‘Do I believe or not?’ and the answer was simply: ‘No.’ He also finds the Vatican’s position on gay issues, euthanasia and abortion ‘absurd,’ and he’s unhappy with how the church meddles with Italian politics.
In 2020, sociologist Francesco Garelli conducted a large study, financed by the Italian Catholic Bishops Conference, that concluded that 30% of the Italian population now claim to be atheists – around 18 million people.
Mark Oden, pastor of Chiesa Evangelica Neapolis (Naples Evangelical Church) said: ‘Our ministry has come across several students who have been de-baptised. Many have felt frustrated that they were baptised as babies, obviously without their consent, then they remain “on the books” of the Roman Catholic Church, despite as adults feeling no connection with the church.
‘Many of the students we work with feel disillusioned with the institutional RC Church and have turned away from the gospel as a result. But most don’t get round to de-baptising themselves, so the Italian RC Church’s official figures are significantly inflated. Being de-baptised would be consistent with their lack of faith and rejection of the church.’
