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November 4, 2009

European court of human rights rules against crucifixes in Italian classrooms

The Guardian reports that the European court of human rights has ruled that crucifixes that hang in classrooms "violate religious and educational freedoms":

[...] There was uproar in Italy today over a ruling by the European court of human rights that the crucifixes that hang in most Italian classrooms are a violation of religious and educational freedoms.

The seven judges, whose decision could prompt a Europe-wide review of the use of religious symbols on public premises, said state schools had to "observe confessional neutrality".

Except on the far left, the ruling met with condemnation among Italian politicians and was denounced by the Vatican. Silvio Berlusconi's education minister, Maria Stella Gelmini, said: "No one, not even some ideologically motivated European court, will succeed in rubbing out our identity."

A Vatican spokesman, Federico Lombardi, said the crucifix was a fundamental sign of the importance of religious values in Italian history and culture, and was a symbol of unity and welcoming for all of humanity, not one of exclusion.

A European court had no right intervening in such a profoundly Italian matter, he said, adding: "It seems as if the court wanted to ignore the role of Christianity in forming Europe's identity, which was and remains essential."

The ruling marked the end of an eight-year battle by a Finnish-born mother, Soile Lautsi. She took her cause to court after failing to get crucifixes removed from the school at which her two children were being taught at a town in north-east Italy.

[...] One government minister, Roberto Calderoli, of the Northern League, said yesterday: "The European court has trodden on our rights, our culture, our history, our traditions and our values."

Having your nation's "rights, culture, history, traditions and values" trodden upon is the result of Italy forfeiting it's sovereignty to the European union, just as will be the case for America when Barack Obama completes his pursuit down a path toward establishing a one-world government.

Posted by Abdul at November 4, 2009 1:38 PM

• European court of human rights rules against crucifixes in Italian classrooms - Nov 04, 2009