European Court: state schools in Italy should not display crucifixes
By Mark Greaves

6 November 2009

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that crucifixes should not be displayed in state schools in Italy.

The panel of seven judges in Strasbourg said that crucifixes violated the rights of parents to bring up their children according to their own beliefs. They said it might be "disturbing" for atheists or children from other faiths.

They made the ruling after a complaint filed by Soile Lautsi, a Finnish woman with Italian citizenship, who complained that her children had to attend a state school with crucifixes in every room.

The judges awarded her 5,000 euros (£4,470) in "moral damages" which will have to be paid by the Italian government.

The consequences of the ruling are unclear but it could force a Europe-wide review of the use of religious symbols in state schools.

Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said the crucifix was a crucial sign of the importance of Christian values in Italian history and culture. He said it was a symbol of unity, not of exclusion.

He added that a European court had no right to intervene in such a profoundly Italian matter and that the court seemed to want "to ignore the role of Christianity in forming Europe's identity, which was and remains essential".

Fr Lombardi said: "Religion gives a precious contribution to the formation and moral growth of people, and it's an essential component in our civilisation. It's wrong and myopic to try to exclude it from education."

The judgment prompted strong criticism from several members of the Italian government. Franco Frattini, the foreign minister, said it was an attack on Italy's Christian heritage, while Luca Zaia, agriculture minister, described it as "shameful".