Religion: Liberty for All

The principle of full religious toleration won a clear-cut victory in overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Italy. Again and again since the war, Italian police have acted against some proselytizing Protestant sects (e.g., Assemblies of God, Church of Christ), have fined or arrested members and broken up services. Last week Italy’s highest administrative tribunal, the Council of State, ordered the Ministry of the Interior to grant juridical recognition to the Assemblies of God churches in Italy. The council severely criticized the police for having often ignored Italy’s postwar constitution, which permits religious liberty for all. In practice, the ruling means that eventually all Protestant sects in Italy will probably have 1) tax-free places of worship, 2) the right to hold public services and solicit funds, 3) the right to perform legally binding marriage ceremonies and other religious rites.