I have often read that Italy is a Catholic country (70%) and Catholism has a very strong impact on the people in italy.

But how can the church be so influential if only 20% (according to BBC) follow the religion?

For that live in italy or have visited Italy, How religious are the people generally speaking?

Thanks;)

Great question!
It would take a very long answer - I will try to make a few points. Italians do believe they are religious I think... Italians are not used to following all the rules and regulations as American are, so they probably do not know that they are not following the religion....
Let me try to explain: years ago I met two catholic priests who just returned to the US from the Vatican. They were quite upset with the Pope saying "he gave us such strict rules ... doesn't he knows that American Catholic will actually follow those rules? He is used to Italians who approve of the regulations and then don't follow them" -
Even Italian Jews are not even remotely as strict as the Israeli Jews or American Jews ( they do work on Saturday for example ) - Anyway my answer is : Yes probably only 20% ( or less) of Italians are following most of the Catholic rules but probably 74% is convinced he/she is a Catholic.

Hi paolo,

Thanks so much for the reply. Hopefully we will see more replies after the holidays.

I thought as much that most folks don't follow the religion strictly, since in desperate times some people may find it hard not to turn your back on the Catholic Church.

I guess although people don't follow everything the church says, they must have an emotional attachment to the church.

Buongiorno,

I heard a similar thing as Paolo did, from a friend in Siena. He told me that the pope (the church) makes rules that are very very strict, understanding that they are sort of the goals or guidelines of all good Catholics to try to reach... and also understanding that most people won't actually really reach them.

And he also said, as Paolo said, that Americans take the 'rules' much more strictly, as rules and not guidelines.

Teresa

I'm guessing how religious one is will vary from one region to the next. i.e. southern regions will be less religious then northern regions.

Well: Income tax regulations are so crazy that it is virtually impossible in Italy to be a successful business and follow all the rules. So Italians get trained even by the government on how to break rules. It is normal to Italians to see rules as ...flexible. The Catholic are having only 1.3 child per couple and divorce is accepted as well as pre-marital sex. The Jewish community in Rome is supposed to be Orthodox but they are far far less strict then their American Counterpart - Anyway I have the greatest respect for them they did resist 2000+ years in a city that is the world center of another religion.

Anyway this joke already appeared twice on the forum but sort of summarize the mentality

Sinking ship
A cruise ship captain has to convince the passengers of his sinking ship to jump overboard. He has to use a different approach with each European.

He tells the English it would be unsporting of them not to jump.

He tells the French it would be the smart thing to do.

He tells the Germans that it is an order.

And he tells the Italians that jumping overboard is forbidden.

Well: Income tax regulations are so crazy that it is virtually impossible in Italy to be a successful business and follow all the rules. So Italians get trained even by the government on how to break rules. It is normal to Italians to see rules as ...flexible. The Catholic are having only 1.3 child per couple and divorce is accepted as well as pre-marital sex. The Jewish community in Rome is supposed to be Orthodox but they are far far less strict then their American Counterpart - Anyway I have the greatest respect for them they did resist 2000+ years in a city that is the world center of another religion.

Anyway this joke already appeared twice on the forum but sort of summarize the mentality

Sinking ship
A cruise ship captain has to convince the passengers of his sinking ship to jump overboard. He has to use a different approach with each European.

He tells the English it would be unsporting of them not to jump.

He tells the French it would be the smart thing to do.

He tells the Germans that it is an order.

And he tells the Italians that jumping overboard is forbidden.

LOL good joke paolo:D

I have often read that Italy is a Catholic country (70%) and Catholism has a very strong impact on the people in italy.

But how can the church be so influential if only 20% (according to BBC) follow the religion?

For that live in italy or have visited Italy, How religious are the people generally speaking?

Thanks;)

I feel sorry for the kids. Most of them go to school 6 days a week, and on the 7th day (the day on which God rested), they are taken to Sunday school at their local church. But look at their parents and you won't see many of them at mass on Sunday. The population as a whole believes in God, but not many practise, until later in life. I suppose that the thought of dying becomes more important in later life and as such people search for comfort in the church.

On balance Italians follow the rules that suit them, as Paolo said. I found Ireland much stricter, although I don't know how it relates to the US.

To see how the church influences life in Italy you only have to look at government. They can do almost nothing without approval from the Vatican. Not so democratic really!

What a nice discussion down here...
As italian I confess that we don't follow the rules at all.
In many case we do exactly the oposite. Many italians, expecially the new generation, are really against the catholicism.
By my side, for exemple, I was forced by my parents to be catholic.

- When I was born they baptism me as soon as possible
- When I was kid I did the communion
- and when I was teen ager another thing called confirmation

It's like that for most of the italian as soon as you born you get the baptesim. So why we are so many.=)

At the school for example we get 2 hours per week to study religion. That's might be interesting. But what we do is only talk about catholicism. I remember few kids in my classroom just be apart during the religion lessons because they where jewish or muslims.
.....It's creazy isn't it?

I consider myself only Christian but not catholic.... wich it's mean:

I belive in god,
I belive in Jesus Christ
But I don't belive in Roman Catholic Church's rules

They can do almost nothing without approval from the Vatican. Not so democratic really!Agreed. Italy is meant to be a secular society. that means the separation of church and state.

Guido,

Is there a discussion at all in Italy about the separation of Church and State, as we have here in the U.S.?

For anyone unfamiliar with this, essentially the idea is that the U.S. was founded on (in part) the belief that RELIGION itself had no place in the ruling of the country. In other words, theoretically, laws should not be based on religious ideas/beliefs, only on what is 'right.' Of course this causes controversy, and we have battles in state legislatures about things like whether a minute set aside at the beginning of the day for prayer is even legal... think what you will about all that.

Is there anything like that idea in Italy? I can't imagine there really is, since after all, Rome IS the center of the Catholic church.

Teresa

What a nice discussion down here...
As italian I confess that we don't follow the rules at all.
In many case we do exactly the oposite. Many italians, expecially the new generation, are really against the catholicism.
By my side, for exemple, I was forced by my parents to be catholic.

- When I was born they baptism me as soon as possible
- When I was kid I did the communion
- and when I was teen ager another thing called confirmation

It's like that for most of the italian as soon as you born you get the baptesim. So why we are so many.=)

At the school for example we get 2 hours per week to study religion. That's might be interesting. But what we do is only talk about catholicism. I remember few kids in my classroom just be apart during the religion lessons because they where jewish or muslims.
.....It's creazy isn't it?

I consider myself only Christian but not catholic.... wich it's mean:

I belive in god,
I belive in Jesus Christ
But I don't belive in Roman Catholic Church's rules

Thanks for the reply

I just noticed that you live in the UK. I am from the UK and would like to move accross to italy. Nice to meet someone that can give me the differences in our 2 cultures. Which part of italy are you from? and when did you leave?

Guido,

Is there a discussion at all in Italy about the separation of Church and State, as we have here in the U.S.?

For anyone unfamiliar with this, essentially the idea is that the U.S. was founded on (in part) the belief that RELIGION itself had no place in the ruling of the country. In other words, theoretically, laws should not be based on religious ideas/beliefs, only on what is 'right.' Of course this causes controversy, and we have battles in state legislatures about things like whether a minute set aside at the beginning of the day for prayer is even legal... think what you will about all that.

Is there anything like that idea in Italy? I can't imagine there really is, since after all, Rome IS the center of the Catholic church.

Teresa

This sounds crazy but according to my friend from Florida (who is an Evangelist by the way) The US is a Christian Country because the laws of the constitution are based on biblical principles. I tried to explain it to him better but he insists that America is a Christian Nation.

Just as with many countries, the U.S. was FOUNDED with Christian principles, but it does not have a religios government or religious LAWS. The separation is about whether the government can mandate church-going, or tell its citizens which church to attend, or which is good and/or bad.

Italy is the same way. You can practice any religion you want in either country - and in many - without any legal ramifications.

So Patrick, see if this makes sense to your friend. The U.S. is not a CHRISTIAN country, in the same sense, for instance, that Israel is a Jewish state, or that Saudi Arabia is a Moslem state, because though the country and the constitution were founded and written by men who were Christian, they distinctly left out anything about religion.

That's why we have so many discussions and issues around huge issues like right to life, gay marriage, prayer in schools, evolution being taught in schools. If it were a Christian country, those wouldn't even be allowed to be argued.

Thankfully, they ARE allowed to be argued, and this means that we can still teach actual science (in most states).

Whew. Way off topic here... !

In Italy I found that most people considered themselves to be Catholic. But like most people in today's world, they found that the Catholic church didn't really FIT today's world. They were good people, and followed the rules as they fit into the world we know, and went about their day without guilt for not following EVERY rule. Makes sense to me!

Teresa

for patrick I am from Rome....

Italy as many peaple know has radical cattholicism pattern in his society since Italy was born.

But now we have a great and big debate foexemple because finally we left the cross into the public school...

In Italy too the power of the Churc is finally falling...

I am Cristian and a bit religious but I disagree the incorrect power that the churg does in our culture....

that's all

I will find out some articles debates on life in italy home page
http://www.lifeinitaly.com/news/news-detailed.asp?newsid=8002

you can read an article about how the pope is into our system....

They are allways talking to our governement they are not religious anymore thay are just politicians!!!

Another aspect of how the Church influences people's daily lives is this, although this is the pretty much the same in all Catholic countries.

My daughter, when she turns six later this year, will start to attend "catechismo". Twice a week for 3 years she will have to go to one class during the week and mass on Sunday. When she is 9 she will receive her First Communion. This is almost an obligation because unless she has gone through it she cannot receive "cresima" or confirmation, and without that she cannot get married in church, be a witness at a marriage or be a godmother.

Should we not send her to catechismo now, she would still have to do it as an adult should she wish to marry in church, and imagine how she would feel having to go through it, as an adult, with a group of 6 year olds!

Sardoman,

I wanted to respond to you on this particularly, and I also want to be really careful. I am not debating Catholicism on any level - right, wrong, anything in between. And I'm certainly not going on the offensive toward your faith in particular. But I wanted to ask you...

... why do you feel there are no other options but to put your daughter into Catechism classes? A vast majority of people in the world actually do just fine without those classes - they get married, they are godparents, they have children, they have businesses, they witness marriages.

You're thinking INSIDE the Catholic church, and assuming that without that church, there is no possibility for those things. Catholicism is one religion among many, one set of beliefs among many.

Please don't misunderstand me - I'm not even suggesting that you do anything other than what you believe is right. I just want to both acknowledge and respect your beliefs, while at the same time acknowledge the huge world of people out there who do not believe those things, yet live perfectly happy, fulfilled, moral lives.

Once we step outside our own spheres, or points of view, the entire world opens up as possibility.

Teresa

Hi all dear cyber mates,have you red about the pope last days?
He was reject from the University in Rome... Is going to be a big discussion about it...

Pope Benedict has cancelled this week's planned visit to Rome's oldest university following protests over his alleged hostility to scientists' freedom of research.

Funny is to read the ansa web site for exemple:
http://ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus/english/english.html

Sardoman,

I wanted to respond to you on this particularly, and I also want to be really careful. I am not debating Catholicism on any level - right, wrong, anything in between. And I'm certainly not going on the offensive toward your faith in particular. But I wanted to ask you...

... why do you feel there are no other options but to put your daughter into Catechism classes? A vast majority of people in the world actually do just fine without those classes - they get married, they are godparents, they have children, they have businesses, they witness marriages.

You're thinking INSIDE the Catholic church, and assuming that without that church, there is no possibility for those things. Catholicism is one religion among many, one set of beliefs among many.

Please don't misunderstand me - I'm not even suggesting that you do anything other than what you believe is right. I just want to both acknowledge and respect your beliefs, while at the same time acknowledge the huge world of people out there who do not believe those things, yet live perfectly happy, fulfilled, moral lives.

Once we step outside our own spheres, or points of view, the entire world opens up as possibility.

Teresa
Hi Teresa,

Thanks for your comments. But maybe I should have said that I am not a Catholic, nor do I follow any religion. I haven't been baptised and do not feel the need to follow any religion. I know that there are alternatives, and generally I believe that the choice of which religion to follow should be made as an adult. My situation meant that my wife (who is Catholic) and I weren't able to get married in church, and when it came to christening our daughter we had to endure a "talking to" by the priest for being "unmarried" parents!!

The reason we will put our daughter through Catechism classes is that if she decides to remain in Italy as an adult she will have the ability to be confirmed in the Catholic church and then get married in church, be a godmother or witness at a church wedding. Without jumping through all those hoops she cannot do any of those things. We could not put her through it all, but should she wish to do these things later in life she would still have to go through the whole process, including the 3 years of Catechism.

Our decision is not based on any religious process but as parents trying to give our daughter the widest possible choice in life (in Italy).