Catholicism in Italy
Official religion since the Roman Empire, Catholicism became even more influential in the Middle Ages when the pope ruled over a powerful state. On September 20, 1870, the Porta Pia breach, the last stage of Italian Unity, annexed the city of Rome to the Kingdom of Italy. This event marked the end of the Papal States and raised the "Roman question", which would plague Italy for several years. What status should be given to Rome, the seat of the Pope's power but also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy? In 1929, the Lateran Accords provided the answer to this question by recognizing the Vatican City as an independent state, enclosed within Rome. The Italian Church was then headed by a cardinal and the Italian episcopal council, and became an offshoot of the entire Catholic world. However, the political influence of religion was still very much present at this time. It diminished in the 1960s, and in 1984 a concordat put an end to its predominant position. Since then, Catholicism is no longer the state religion in Italy. The hour of religious instruction, which until then had been compulsory in public schools, became optional. A new mechanism for financing religions was also put in place: the8 per mille (eight per thousand) provided that part of the taxes paid by Italian taxpayers could be transferred to a religious institution.
Religious practices
According to a 2016 sociological study published by the magazine Il Mulino, just over 90% of Italians born before 1990 would be baptized according to Catholic rites. Today, this figure is declining and this trend is also true for religious marriages. According to Istat (the Italian National Institute of Statistics), in 2020 there were 96,841 marriages in Italy and 71.1% of them were not celebrated religiously. However, Catholic holidays, mainly Easter and Christmas, mark the country's calendar. At Easter, processions are organized every year from the north to the south of the country. Among the most popular is the Via Crucis on Good Friday in Rome. On Easter Monday(Pasquetta), , Italians traditionally organize large picnics with friends. Christmas is certainly the most celebrated religious holiday in the country. If the Christmas tree takes pride of place in every city, the tradition of the nativity scene(presepe) is well established here and a real craft industry has developed around the creation of Santons. Via San Gregorio Armeno in Naples is a must in this regard: all year long, you can find in this street stalls offering santons that represent not only the characters of the Nativity but also celebrities or politicians. A unique souvenir if you visit Naples! In Italy, December 25 is a holiday, as well as December 26, St. Stephen's Day, and January 6, the Epiphany. The tradition is that a witch, the Befana, travels the sky on her broomstick to bring sweets to the good children and... a piece of coal to the others!
Finally, besides Catholicism, other religions are present in the country. Muslims in Italy are mostly from Central Europe and the Maghreb. The largest mosque in Europe is located in Rome and can accommodate up to 12,000 believers. The Protestant and Orthodox Christian religions are also represented, with a large number of their members coming from Central Europe (Romania, Russia, former Yugoslavia or Bulgaria). The Jewish community is mainly present in Northern Italy and in Rome. The largest synagogue in the country is the Tempio Maggiore in Rome.
