Most of the believing Italians profess the Catholic faith. Officially, 99.6% are considered Catholics, that is, almost all of Italy. Religion does not particularly occupy modern Italian citizens: according to statistics, about 15% of the population visits temples.
A country of many religions
Protestants also live in Italy (about three hundred thousand people from Piedmont), Jews (thirty-five thousand people "scattered" throughout the country are citizens of Rome, Turin, Genoa, Florence, Venice and Livorno).
Despite the fact that the Catholic Church is officially separate from the country, it has a much greater influence on the minds of Italians than the state of Italy. Religion still influences many areas of Italian life - it is not for nothing that the independent state of the Vatican is located here, headed by the pope - the ruler of all the world's Catholic churches.
The international role and authority of the Vatican is as strong as it was several centuries ago. As the owner of a powerful radio station and the newspaper Osservatore Romano, the pope successfully leads religious, semi-religious and secular organizations,communities and unions.
The question "What is the religion in Italy today?" would confuse any citizen of the country, regardless of social status and education. In this country, there are about 850 types of spiritual and other institutions subordinate to the Catholic Church.
Catholic Action
The liaison and curator is an organization called "Catholic Action". The mission of Catholic Action agents is to instruct parents on how to raise children, monitor Italian literary tastes, and recommend Catholic media and videos that the church welcomes. One of the duties of Catholic Action agents is to obstruct those citizens who intend to join a non-Catholic union or decide to go on strike.
Religion in Italy now largely depends on the spiritual enlightenment of the Italians themselves. A special role in religious education is played by Catholic priests, most of whom teach part-time in secondary schools. The influence of the clergy on village children is especially great.
But not only "Catholic action" Italy is glorious. Religion is certainly important, but the influence of worldly life on the political position of the Vatican cannot be ignored. Pope John XXIII, for example, became famous as the first Catholic patriarch in history to proclaim the struggle for peace as the main goal of the church.
It must be said that the inhabitants of Italian villagesmuch more pious than the townspeople. Each village has its own patron saint, who can ward off certain kinds of troubles from people. St. Paul, for example, neutralizes the bites of poisonous snakes, and St. Lucia treats eye diseases. Saint Barbara gives protection from thunderstorms, and more recently even patronizes artillerymen. Archangel Gabriel (the one who brought the good news to the Mother of God) received the status of the patron saint of radio stations …
Heavenly "patrons"
Faith in heavenly patrons gave rise to a new custom - to bring "votive gifts" (ex-voto) to the church. These small, self-made paintings are a kind of expression of gratitude to the saint for the help rendered. Most often they draw "miracles" that have already happened or are about to happen due to the miraculous intervention of the patron. Sometimes wax images of healed body parts play the role of paintings.
The peasant custom of depicting religious symbols on tools and household items is also interesting. Crosses, faces of saints and other paraphernalia can be seen on a baby crib and earthenware, on a weaving shuttle and a pet collar…
“Islam is thriving in Italy…”
Islam and Italy? The religion professed by the Arab peoples really took root here. In any case, Alessandra Karagiula, an Italian sociologist, has no doubts about this. Her report “Capital Islam” is dedicated to this topic.
According to Alessandra's estimates, there aremore than one and a half million Muslims (in Rome and the Roman region, for example, there are about 100 thousand people who profess Islam), who have come here from all over the world. The female scholar also reported that only 16% of Italian Muslims were seen worshiping in official mosques. But the traditional Friday prayer (Muslim religious rite) brings together 40% of Muslims living in Rome and the region. No matter how strange the mention of Islamism sounds, but according to historical information, Sicily and southern Italy are directly related to Islam. The religion of Muslims, brought here in the 9th century by the Arab conquerors, is returning again.
The modern Italian state divides all believers into Catholics and non-Catholics. The second group includes Protestants, Jews and Muslims. Representatives of the listed religious communities have the same rights as Italians who profess the Catholic faith.
