Italy:

After a brief controversy, the crucifix has been restored to its rightful place in classrooms of a middle school in Italy’s Carpi. Following protests from parents and teachers, the Focherini Middle School director Federica Ansaloni was forced to restore the presence of the crucifix in classrooms after it was taken away during the renovation in summer.

A group of teachers and parents had shot off a letter to the principal asking why the crucifix was not returned to classrooms after the renovation activities. The group also expressed “disappointment with the methods adopted and the times chosen”. They also made it clear in the letter that the removal did not correspond with any protest or formal request by teachers or parents to have the symbol of the Passion of Christ taken down.

The group also alleged that the removal was a unilateral decision of the director of the school. However, when news of the disappearance of the crucifix made its way to news outlets, Ansaloni ordered the sacred symbol to be reinstated. She sent a letter to the regional school office to assure everyone that the crucifix was not ordered to be taken down. She added that the sacred object was returned soon after the renovation was over.

Ansaloni also reiterated that there was no “ongoing battle against crucifixes nor any ban on it”. “The problems of the school, which I have very close to my heart, are very different. It is true that we have emptied the classrooms to build new ones with a new organizational perspective. The crucifixes can return, along with everything else,” she said.

The Italian law dating back to the 1920s enshrines the right of crucifixes to be displayed in schools. Article 118 of the Royal Decree of April 30, 1924, and the Royal Decree of April 26, 1928, regulates the display of the symbol of the passion of Christ. However, the laws have not been repealed. The Italian Council of State also ruled in 1988 and in 2006 in favor of retaining the crucifix in classrooms.
In 2011, the European Court of Human Rights made a significant verdict in favor of the crucifix when the sacred symbol was challenged by an immigrant parent. The court said that there was no evidence to prove the so-called influence on students by the crucifix in a classroom.