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November 5, 2009
EU bans crucifix from Italy’s classrooms
by Sara Levy
The European Court of Human Rights has ordered the Italian state to pay €5,000 in damages to a woman who fought for eight years to have crucifixes removed from her children’s classrooms in Italy.
According to the court, the practice of hanging crucifixes on classrooms walls violates the right of parents to educate their children as they see fit.
In addition, the practice contravenes children’s right to freedom of the religion.
The ruling by the court’s seven judges has caused uproar in Italy, and could prompt a Europe-wide review on displaying religious symbols in public premises.
The Vatican said the court’s decision was “wrong and myopic”, adding that the crucifix is a key symbol of religious values.
“It seems as if the court wanted to ignore the role of Christianity in forming Europe’s identity, which was and remains essential,” a Vatican spokesperson said.
“The crucifix has always been a sign of God’s love, unity and hospitality to all humanity,” he added.
Italy’s education minister Maria Stella Gelmini vowed to appeal the ruling, and said Europe would not succeed in “rubbing out” Italy’s Christian heritage.
According to the Italian government, the crucifix is a symbol of the country’s national identity.
However, the court disagreed. “The presence of the crucifix could easily be interpreted by pupils of all ages as a religious sign, and they would feel that they were being educated in a school environment bearing the stamp of a given religion,” it ruled.
The ruling did not include an order for Italy to remove crucifixes from all state schools, but failing to remove the symbol from classrooms could leave the government vulnerable to further litigation.
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