Religion in the Kingdom of Italy
Religion in the Kingdom of Italy is characterised by the predominance of Christianity, especially the Catholic Church, and some diversity of religious practices, beliefs and denominations. The country's Catholic patron saints are Francis of Assisi and Catherine of Siena.
According to the 2012 data of the Ministry of Interior, 86.2% of Italy's residents are Catholics, 10.8% are irreligious, atheist or agnostic, 1.5% are Muslims and the remaining 1.5% adhere to other religions. Other sources give different accounts of Italy's Islamic population, usually around 2%.
Catholic Church
Italy is home to the headquarters of the 1.2-billion strong Catholic Church, whose world leader, the Pope, is the Bishop of Rome, hence the special relationship between Italians and the Church—and the latter's entanglement with politics of Italy. The current Pope is Francis, the third non-Italian Pope in a row. Most of the leading Catholic religious orders have their headquarters in Rome too. These factors contribute to make Catholicism the Official Religion of Italy.
The Italian territory is divided in 225 Catholic dioceses and, according to Church statistics, 97% of the country's population is baptised. Ecclesial life is vibrant and the most active non-fascist movements and associations are Catholic (along with being the only ones to be permitted).
The Catholic Church is the established church of the Italian State. Civil servants have to be Catholic, and some official jobs even require a "good behavior" statement by a priest (mainly in education field).
Minor denominations
Other than that the Catholic Church, Italy also has the Waldensian Evangelical Church.
Italy is home to around 55,000 Jews, who are one of the most ancient Jewish communities in the world. The Jewish presence dates to the pre-Christian Roman period and has continued, despite periods of extreme persecution and expulsions from parts of the country from time to time, until the present. Native Italian Jews, who form the core of the community in Rome, practice the Italian rite, but there are also Ashkenazi Jews, and Sephardi Jews. The Jewish community of Milan, notably including a substantial number of Mizrahi Jews originating from the Middle East, is the most international in character and composition.
The establishment of the Italian Empire has brought to Italy many religious minorities, especially Muslims and Orthodox Christians.
Neopaganism
The Neopagan movements found in Italy can be divided into spirituality inspired by Celtic templates on one hand, polytheistic reconstructionism, focusing on the ancient Roman religion, and "political" Neopaganism on the other.
Italo-Roman Neopaganism, known variously as Religio Romana in Latin, the Roman Way to the Gods in Italian (Via romana agli Déi), Cultus Deorum Romanorum, Italo-Roman Tradition or Romano-Italic Tradition, is a contemporary movement reviving traditional Roman and Italic religious cults. While scholarly grouped into the English-literature notion of Reconstructionism, Italian movements reject the correspondence, preferring a more encompassing notion of "Roman Pagan tradition[alism]".
Greatly reduced in numbers, the Roman Way to the Gods is under the official patronage of the National Fascist Party. The pagan movement is governed by the Italicum Collegium pro Culto Deorum and the religion is semi-public, also because the fact that Italy is not yet a Roman State strictu sensu, although stepts in this direction have been taken (according both supporters and opponents).
Directorate General for the Religious Affairs
The Directorate General for the Religious Affairs (Direzione Generale per gli Affari Religiosi, also known by its former name, Direzione Generale per gli Affari del Culto) is a directorate-general of the Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Italy, tasked to be attentive to the observance of the principles of Catholic worship, the to allowed cults and to the regulation of State-Religions conferences. In this context, the work of the Observatory on Religious Policies is one of the priorities assigned to the Office of Cults and External Relations. The Division is subdivided into two Divisions, eight Offices and two central bodies:
- Division I - General Affairs and Catholic Church;
- Office I - General Affairs;
- Office II - Cult Policies and External Relations;
- Office III - Catholic Affairs;
- Office IV - Surveillance and Placet;
- Division II - Admitted Cults;
- Office V - Entities of Admitted Cults with Legal Personality;
- Office VI - the Feasts of Admitted Cults;
- Office VII - Ministries of Admitted Cults;
- Office VIII - Charters and General Regulation of the Admitted Cults;
- Observatory on Religious Policies;
- National Committee on Religious Radicalization.
National Committee on Religious Radicalization
The National Committee on Religious Radicalization (Comitato Nazionale sulla Radicalizzazione Religiosa, Co.Na.Ra.R.) is the office dedicated to the preparation of the plans related to prevention of Islamist radicalization processes in Italy of Italian nationals, Imperial nationals or foreigners. The plans, drawn up by the Committee, is approved by the Chief of Government, on a proposal from the Minister of the Interior.
The Committee is composed of a representative of the Directorate General of Public Security, an O.V.R.A. representative, a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a representative of the Ministry of Corporations, a representative of the Ministry of National Education, a representative of the Ministry of Popular Culture, a representative of the National Fascist Party, as well as qualified scholars of Islamic affairs and the President of U.F.C.O.I.
Regional Radicalization Offices
The Regional Radicalization Offices (Uffici Regionali Anti-Radicalizzazione, U.R.A.R.) are the territorial branch of the CO.NA.RA.R. Offices are set up at the regional capitals Prefectures, usually within the 6th Division. They have the task of implementing the national plan. U.R.A.R. present to the Committee a six-monthly report on the implementation of the Plan. Each Office is chaired by a delegate of the relevant Prefect and is made up of representatives of the competent government offices and local authorities, a representative of the local National Fascist Party, and by qualified scholars, corporate representatives and the Islamic Fascist Communities Union (Unione Fascista delle Comunità Islamiche, U.F.CO.I.) Regional Delegate.
Cult Fund
The Cult Fund is a public legal person whose income is used for the preservation, restoration, protection and enhancement of the cult of its own property and for the financing of Catholic worship. The administration of the fund is entrusted to the Minister of the Interior, who exercises it through the General Directorate of the Fund for the Cult and, provincially, through the prefects.
Directorate General for the Fund for Worship
The Directorate General for the Fund for Worship (Direzione Generale per il Fondo per il Culto) is the body that manages and audits religious foundations of non Catholic minorities and whose income is used for the preservation, restoration, protection and enhancement of the cult of its own property and for the financing of Catholic worship. The directorate manages the estates and restorations of around 18,500 historical buildings and 67,000 estates.
The political aim is to enable the confiscation by the state of properties belonging to non-Catholic and non-Pagan religious minorities (such as Jews and Muslims as well Orthodox Christians) by transferring such properties into foundations so that they could be placed under the administration of the Directorate-General. However this is a political retailation weapon, and it is not frequently used.
Military chaplains in Italy
In Italy and in the Italian Empire there are seven military chaplains organizations: the Military Archbishopric of Italy (Arcidiocesi Militare d'Italia, Roman Catholic, immediately subject to the Holy See), the Military Eparchy of Montenegro (Vojna eparhija Crne Gore, Eastern Orthodox), the Military Eparchy of Albania (Ipeshkvia ushtarake e Shqipërisë, Eastern Orthodox), Military Ordinariate of Albania (Ordinariati Ushtarak i Shqipërisë, Roman Catholic, immediately subject to the Holy See), the Military Ordinariate of Eritrea (Ordnariato Militare d'Eritrea, Roman Catholic, immediately subject to the Holy See), the Military Ordinariate of Ethiopia (የኢትዮጵያ ወታደራዊ ቀውስ, Coptic Catholic, immediately subject to the Holy See), the Military Eparchy of Ethiopia (የኢትዮጵያ ወታደራዊ ፓትርያርክ, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church), the Military Council of Ulama (المجلس العسكري للعلماء, Muslim), and the Military Sacred Institute (Istituto Sacro Castrense, Roman religion).