The president of the Italian Evangelical Alliance (IEA) has called for more religious freedom in Italy.
In his lecture on religious freedom at the University of Padua on 20 November 2023, IEA president Giacomo Ciccone declared that, despite constitutional guarantees in the country, ‘religious freedom is still caged in a political-religious culture that has not yet accepted religious pluralism’.
He spoke about the active role evangelicals have historically had in defending religious freedom in the world and in Italy, before opening a group discussion on two recent government acts against Italian churches – including the still-pending case of the evangelical Breccia Di Roma church (see more here).
The IEA claim that it is unusual for the topic of ‘freedom of religion’ to be considered in Italian academic and cultural circles, and ‘even more unusual that a speaker from the evangelical world’ would be invited to discuss it. But, by the end of the evening, Professor Manilo Miele at the School of Law of the University of Padua expressed his intention to continue the collaboration with the IEA in future.
Just weeks after the event, on 27 December, Italy suffered another blow for religious freedom, as ordinances were promoted by the Mayor of Monfalcone, Anna Maria Cisint, which ‘effectively deny Muslim believers the possibility of gathering to pray and celebrate their worship, through the closure of some mosques and the imposition of various restrictions’.
The IEA responded on their website by demanding that freedom of religion and worship, as outlined in the Italian Constitution, be respected by all administrators at all levels. They stated, ‘As evangelical Christians, committed to proclaiming the gospel of Christ Jesus and refuting alternative faiths including Islam, we are firmly against the spread of unjustified discriminatory rhetoric towards those who profess a religion different from the majority.
‘The Italian Evangelical Alliance will continue to work to support religious freedom for all and promote dialogue based on mutual respect.’
