The crucifix, it says in the ruling, represents “the lived experience of a community and the cultural tradition of a people.”

The ruling by Italy’s highest court relates to the conflict between a teacher and his school board. The teacher in Terni (central Italy) systematically took the crucifix from the wall in the classroom when he was teaching. He argued that he, as a non-Christian, was discriminated against by the crucifix. The Supreme Court denies that the crucifix would be discriminatory.

However, the Supreme Court recognises that there is no obligation to erect the crucifix. The decision to display a crucifix in classrooms is up to each school.

The court suggests that “the symbols of other faiths” can be hung next to the crucifix if children or their parents feel needed.

The cross is customary

It is customary to hang a crucifix in public places such as school classrooms and hospitals in Italy. In the past, numerous low and high courts have ruled on the matter. In 2006, for example, the Italian Council of State ruled that crucifixes are allowed in the schoolroom and should not be understood as a religious symbol only. “The crucifix is not only a religious symbol but also a symbol of the values that inspire our constitution and of our way of living together in peace.”

Opponents of the crucifix believe that the Christian symbol goes against the neutrality of the government. But even with this ruling, it has not come to a ban on crucifixes in public spaces.

In the past, there have been several more court cases about the crucifix in Italian classrooms.

This article was published previously in the Dutch Reformatorisch Dagblad on September 11, 2021.