http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/crucifix-ruling-sparks-uproar-in-italy/article1349646/
Gilbert Reilhac and Philip Pullella
Rome —
Reuters
Published on Tuesday, Nov. 03, 2009 11:48AM EST
The European Court of Human Rights
ruled today that Italian schools should remove crucifixes from
classrooms, sparking uproar in Italy, where such icons are embedded in
the national psyche.
“This is an abhorrent ruling,” said Rocco Buttiglione, a former
culture minister who helped write papal encyclicals. “It must be
rejected with firmness. Italy has its culture, its traditions and its
history. Those who come among us must understand and accept this
culture and this history.”
The court ruling, which Italy said it would appeal, said crucifixes
on school walls, a common sight that is part of every Italian's life,
could disturb children who were not Christians. Italy has been in the
throes of national debate on how to deal with a growing population of
immigrants, mostly Muslims, and the court sentence is likely to become
another battle cry for the centre-right government's policy to restrict
newcomers.
The Vatican spokesman said he would not comment until he knew more
about the ruling but Italy's powerful bishops' conference said the
ruling “evokes sadness and bewilderment.”
Members of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government bristled,
weighing in with words such as “shameful,” “offensive,” “absurd,”
“unacceptable,” and “pagan.” But condemnation crossed party lines.
Paola Binetti, a Catholic in the opposition Democratic Party, the
successor of what was once the West's largest communist party, said:
“In Italy, the crucifix is a specific sign of our tradition.”
The case was brought by an Italian national, Soile Lautsi, who
complained that her children had to attend a public school in northern
Italy, which had crucifixes in every room. Education Minister
Mariastella Gelmini said crucifixes on the walls of tens of thousands
of classrooms “does not mean adherence to Catholicism” but are a symbol
of Italy's heritage.
“The history of Italy is marked by symbols and if we erase symbols we erase part of ourselves,” Ms. Gelmini said.
Ms. Lautsi, the woman who filed the suit, said crucifixes on walls
ran counter to her right to give her children a secular education and
the Strasbourg-based court ruled in her favour. “The presence of the
crucifix ... could be encouraging for religious pupils, but also
disturbing for pupils who practised other religions or were atheists,
particularly if they belonged to religious minorities,” the court said
in a written ruling. “The State (must) refrain from imposing beliefs in
premises where individuals were dependent on it,” it added, saying the
aim of public education was “to foster critical thinking.”
Pierferdinando Casini of the opposition Union of Christian Democrats
party said the ruling showed that European institutions were
“spineless,” noting the failure to mention the continent's Christian
roots in Europe's constitution.
Mario Baccini, a senator in Mr. Berlusconi's People of Freedom party, said the court had “gone adrift in paganism.”
Two Italian laws dating from the 1920s, when the Fascists were in
power, state that schools must display crucifixes. Alessandra
Mussolini, granddaughter of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, said
such rulings were leading to “a Europe without an identity.”
Only a handful of politicians defended the court, including some
members of the Democratic Party, as well as members of the communist
party and atheist groups.
Gilbert Reilhac and Philip Pullella
Rome —
Reuters
Published on Tuesday, Nov. 03, 2009 11:48AM EST
The European Court of Human Rights
ruled today that Italian schools should remove crucifixes from
classrooms, sparking uproar in Italy, where such icons are embedded in
the national psyche.
“This is an abhorrent ruling,” said Rocco Buttiglione, a former
culture minister who helped write papal encyclicals. “It must be
rejected with firmness. Italy has its culture, its traditions and its
history. Those who come among us must understand and accept this
culture and this history.”
The court ruling, which Italy said it would appeal, said crucifixes
on school walls, a common sight that is part of every Italian's life,
could disturb children who were not Christians. Italy has been in the
throes of national debate on how to deal with a growing population of
immigrants, mostly Muslims, and the court sentence is likely to become
another battle cry for the centre-right government's policy to restrict
newcomers.
The Vatican spokesman said he would not comment until he knew more
about the ruling but Italy's powerful bishops' conference said the
ruling “evokes sadness and bewilderment.”
Members of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government bristled,
weighing in with words such as “shameful,” “offensive,” “absurd,”
“unacceptable,” and “pagan.” But condemnation crossed party lines.
Paola Binetti, a Catholic in the opposition Democratic Party, the
successor of what was once the West's largest communist party, said:
“In Italy, the crucifix is a specific sign of our tradition.”
The case was brought by an Italian national, Soile Lautsi, who
complained that her children had to attend a public school in northern
Italy, which had crucifixes in every room. Education Minister
Mariastella Gelmini said crucifixes on the walls of tens of thousands
of classrooms “does not mean adherence to Catholicism” but are a symbol
of Italy's heritage.
“The history of Italy is marked by symbols and if we erase symbols we erase part of ourselves,” Ms. Gelmini said.
Ms. Lautsi, the woman who filed the suit, said crucifixes on walls
ran counter to her right to give her children a secular education and
the Strasbourg-based court ruled in her favour. “The presence of the
crucifix ... could be encouraging for religious pupils, but also
disturbing for pupils who practised other religions or were atheists,
particularly if they belonged to religious minorities,” the court said
in a written ruling. “The State (must) refrain from imposing beliefs in
premises where individuals were dependent on it,” it added, saying the
aim of public education was “to foster critical thinking.”
Pierferdinando Casini of the opposition Union of Christian Democrats
party said the ruling showed that European institutions were
“spineless,” noting the failure to mention the continent's Christian
roots in Europe's constitution.
Mario Baccini, a senator in Mr. Berlusconi's People of Freedom party, said the court had “gone adrift in paganism.”
Two Italian laws dating from the 1920s, when the Fascists were in
power, state that schools must display crucifixes. Alessandra
Mussolini, granddaughter of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, said
such rulings were leading to “a Europe without an identity.”
Only a handful of politicians defended the court, including some
members of the Democratic Party, as well as members of the communist
party and atheist groups.
Indeed, it should be rejected with firmness. (I love that line).
