Berkley Center

When I first arrived in Italy I was not sure exactly what to expect in terms of religion. I assumed Italy was an overwhelmingly Catholic country and was aware of the obvious ties to the Vatican, and therefore I expected Italians to be quite devout. However, what I found was that Italy is not exactly the ultra-religious country I had expected.

In short Italy is quite Catholic on paper. Approximately 90 percent of Italians consider themselves to be Roman Catholics but less than a third actively practice their religion. The influence of the Catholic Church in Italy has at certain points in history been quite significant, but in recent decades it has become a markedly less powerful force. In 1970 Italy became one of the last Western countries to legalize divorce which until then had been successfully fought off by the Church. Eight years later Italy legalized abortion, again to the chagrin of the Church. Both of these laws were upheld by public referenda proving high levels of public support for progressive programs which contradicted traditional Catholic values. Finally in 1984 the Lateran Treaty was revised taking away the Catholic Church’ role as the official state-supported religion of Italy which it had been given in 1929 by the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.”

Fast forward to today. Just weeks ago Italy legalized the abortion pill RU-486 after years of Church opposition, marking yet another step by the Italian public and lawmakers away from the influence of the Vatican. Yet the Church still has some influence. Every day the Catholic Church provides an “hour of religion” in public schools in the form of religious education given by priests. However this class has been made optional, further reducing the Church’ influence on Italians. And despite the trend toward Italian secularization Italy still has more parishes and priests than any other country.”

Having been quite surprised by what I found out about religion’s role in Italy I decided to ask some questions. And while I can't claim that my informal interviews can provide an accurate picture of the country as a whole, I have the feeling that many Italians would give responses similar to the ones I received. When I asked my Italian professor if Italians were very Catholic, she simply said “no.” She explained that young Italians especially don't see the need to practice religion, and that many couples are choosing secular marriage ceremonies over religious ones.”

When I asked my 20-year-old Italian friend Fabrizio if he was religious, he told me, "My family is Catholic, of course, but we don't go to church—, especially the kids like me.”

Admittedly I spent the majority of my time abroad in the northern regions of Italy, which have typically been characterized by less religious fervor than the southern states. Yet despite the north-south divide the trend toward secular thinking is universal throughout Italy, though it may be happening more slowly in many southern regions. It seems as though most Italians either don't feel a need for religious engagement, or that they simply don’t feel compelled to express their religious feelings by attending Sunday Mass. Their Catholic identity in many cases seems to extend only as far as family tradition and does not manifest itself in deep personal spirituality. Given the trend toward secularization in Italy it will be interesting to see what role the Catholic Church will play in the country years down the road. I can't wait to go back to Italy to find out.