Ninth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

Currently, in Italy, there is a great debate about religious teaching in schools. In recent times the issue has become even more imminent after the increase of the immigration phenomenon in European countries. In the Italian schools the number of students with different cultural and religious backgrounds is increased and this has posed a significant intercultural educational issue within the aims of the Italian education system. In the past the debate around this topic was exclusively focused on the laicity of teaching; now, seen the presence in Italy of religious experiences that are different from Catholicism, the issue has gone from a “secular phase” to a “post-secular phase.” The paper aims to describe the current situation of Italian schools about religious pluralism and it is organized in three parts: Brief analysis of European documents about the relation between education and religious pluralism and how Italian Education System has implemented these guidelines in the schools; The specific case of Catholic religious teaching in Italy and the challenge of pluralism religious; Presentation of first outcomes of my postdoctoral research on case study of some school that have addressed the theme of religious pluralism.