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Religion inItaly has been historically characterised by the dominance of theCatholic Church, the largest branch ofChristianity, since theEast–West Schism.[3][4] This is in part due to the importance ofRome in the history of the Church, including its historical status as a leadingpatriarchate and the presence of theVatican, the Catholic Church's headquarters and the residence of thePope—theBishop of Rome—within its borders (presently as anenclave). However, due toimmigration, notably the influx ofMuslims,Eastern Orthodox Christians,Protestants,Buddhists andHindus, as well asproselytism andsecularization,religious pluralism in Italy has increased in the 21st century. Italy also features a pre-ChristianJewish community, an autochthonous Protestant church–theWaldensian Evangelical Church and one of the largest shares ofJehovah's Witnesses in the world.
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The 2012Global Religious Landscape survey by thePew Forum on Religion and Public Life (anAmericanthink tank) found that 83.3% ofItaly's residents wereChristians, 12.4% wereirreligious,atheist oragnostic, 3.7% wereMuslims and 0.6% adhered to other religions.[6] In 2016 thePew Research Center found that 81.7% of the population of Italy was affiliated with theCatholic Church, out of a Christian population of 85.1%; non-religious people comprised the 11.6% of the total population and were divided in atheists (3.1%), agnostics (2.5%) and "nothing in particular" (6.0%).[7] According to a 2017 poll byIpsos (aFrance-based research centre), 74.4% of residents were Catholic (including 27.0% engaged and/or observant), 22.6% were irreligious and 3.0% adhered to other religions.[8] According to a 2023 Ipsos survey, 68% of the country's residents adhered to Christianity, including 61% Catholics, 4%Protestants and 3% other Christians, 28% were irreligious, 2% preferred not to say, 1% were Muslims and 1% adhered to other religions.[9]
Regarding Italian citizens in Italy, according to the 2005Eurobarometer poll (conducted on behalf of theEuropean Commission), 74% of Italians "believe[d] there is a God", 16% "believe[d] there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 6% "[did] not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force".[10] According to a 2006 survey byEurispes (an Italian research centre), Catholics made up 87.8% of Italian citizens, with 36.8% describing themselves as observants.[11] According to the same poll in 2010, those percentages fell to 76.5% and 24.4%, respectively.[12] In 2016 Eurispes found that 71.1% of Italians were Catholic, 5 points down from 2010, but their religious practice was on the rise at 25.4%.[13] According toDoxa (another Italian research centre) in 2014, 75% of Italians were Catholic.[14] The 2018 Eurobarometer survey showed that 85.6% of Italy's population was Christian (78.9% Catholics, 4.6%Orthodox Christians, 0.6% Protestants, 1.5% other Christians), while 2.6% belonged to other religions and 11.7% were non-religious (7.5% atheists, 4.2% agnostics).[15] The 2021 Eurobarometer estimated that 84.4% was Christian (with 79.2% of the population being Catholic), 11.6% was agnostic or atheist and 3.2% followed another religion.[16]
There are significant differences by gender, age and geography. For instance, according to a 2014 Doxa poll: 80% of women defined themselves as "Catholic", while 69% of men did so; 80% of the people in the age group above 55 defined themselves as Catholic, while 8% said to be irreligious or atheist and another 7% described themselves as "without religious reference"; among people aged between 15 and 34, percentages were 68%, 13% and 12%, respectively; in Southern Italy, 85%, 6% and 5%, respectively; in the North-West, 62%, 16% and 13%, respectively.[14]
The headquarters of the 1.2-billion strong Catholic Church, theState of Vatican City (see alsoHoly See), is an enclave within the city ofRome and, thus, the Italian territory. The Church's world leader, thePope, is theBishop ofRome, hence the special relationship between Italians and the Church—and the latter's entanglement withItalian politics (see alsoLateran Treaty and thesection below on religion and politics). Italy's Catholic patron saints areFrancis of Assisi andCatherine of Siena.[18]Pope Francis fromArgentina was the third non-Italian Pope in a row, afterJohn Paul II (1978–2005) fromPoland andBenedict XVI (2005–2013) fromBavaria,Germany. Most of the leadingCatholic religious orders, including theFranciscans (including theOrder of Friars Minor, theOrder of Friars Minor Capuchin and theOrder of Friars Minor Conventual), theSalesians, theJesuits, theBenedictines, theDivine Word Missionaries, theDominicans, theRedemptorists, theDiscalced Carmelites and theOblates of Mary Immaculate, have their headquarters in Rome too.[19]
The Italian territory is divided into 225Catholic dioceses (whosebishops have been organised, since 1952, in the politically influential[20][21]Episcopal Conference of Italy, CEI),[22][23] currently led by CardinalMatteo Zuppi. According to Church statistics (which do not consider current active members), 57,665,000 Italians, that is 96.6% of the country's population, wasbaptised as Catholic.[24]
Ecclesial life is somewhat vibrant and, despitesecularization, some of the most active movements and associations are Catholic, including organisations as diverse asCatholic Action (AC), theItalian Catholic Association of Guides and Scouts (AGESCI),Communion and Liberation (CL),Neocatechumenal Way, theFocolare Movement, theChristian Associations of Italian Workers (ACLI), theCommunity of Sant'Egidio, etc., most of which have been involved in social activities and have frequently supplied Italian politics with their members.[25][26][27][28] Italy's currentPresident,Sergio Mattarella,[29][30][31] and formerPrime MinisterMatteo Renzi[32][33] have been AC and AGESCI leaders, respectively, while a former President of the CEI, CardinalAngelo Bagnasco,[34][35] was long an AGESCI assistant.
Other than that theLatin Church of the Catholic Church, Italy has two additional significant Christian bodies that are native to the peninsula: theItalo-Albanian Catholic Church, one of the twenty-threeEastern Catholic Churches in communion with the Pope, and theWaldensian Evangelical Church, a Christian movement originated fromLyon in the late 12th century and adoptedCalvinist theology shortly after the start of theReformation (see alsoWaldensians). The two churches include the majority of the population inPiana degli Albanesi,Sicily andLungro,Calabria, and the so-called "Waldensian Valleys" (Val Pellice,Val Chisone andValle Germanasca) of westernPiedmont, respectively.
Most historicalmainlineProtestants, including the Waldensians (30,000 members), theBaptists (Baptist Evangelical Christian Union of Italy, 15,000), the mostlyGerman-speakingLutherans (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy, 7,000), theMethodists (Methodist Evangelical Church in Italy, 5,000) and minor Calvinist andPresbyterian communities, are affiliated to theFederation of Evangelical Churches in Italy, along with the Italian section ofThe Salvation Army (2,000) and some minorEvangelical andPentecostal denominations.[36] In the Protestant context, it is also worth mentioning theEvangelical Christian Church of the Brethren (19,000) and the Italiansection of theSeventh-day Adventist Church (18,000).[37]
Italy is home to around 40,000Jews,[37][38] who are one of the most ancientJewish communities in the world.Jewish presence dates to the pre-Christian Roman period and has continued uninterrupted up to the present, despite periods of extreme persecution and occasional expulsions from parts of the country. Native Italian Jews, who form the core of the community in Rome, practice theminhagItalian Jews, or "Italkim", but there are alsoAshkenazi Jews who have settled in the North, especially in the lands of the formerRepublic of Venice (Veneto,Friuli-Venezia Giulia and easternLombardy) and Piedmont, since the lateMiddle Ages, andSephardi Jews, who have established primarily themselves mostly inLivorno,Florence,Venice and several cities ofEmilia, after their expulsion from theKingdom of Naples.[39] Following the expulsion, very few communities persisted in the territory, withSerrastretta being home to the only active synagogue in the former territory, established by descendants of exiles of the territory. The Jewish community ofMilan, the country's second largest after Rome's, is the most international in character and composition, notably including a substantial number ofMizrahi Jews originating fromLibya and theMiddle East.[40] The twenty-one Jewish local communities are affiliated with theUnion of Italian Jewish Communities, which counts 25,000 members[41] and is currently led byNoemi Di Segni, a woman.
Immigration has brought to Italy many religious minorities, especiallyIslam,Eastern Orthodoxy andOriental Orthodoxy. By the numbers, in 2023 the country was home to around 2.3 million Muslims and 1.8 million Orthodox Christians.[37] Among the latter, especially relevant are theRomanian Orthodox Church, which has a diocese of Italy, and theGreek Orthodox Church through theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, whoseArchdiocese of Italy and Exarchate of Southern Europe has itssee in Venice.Massimo Introvigne, founder and director of CESNUR once predicted that, thanks to continued immigration fromEastern Europe, Orthodox Christians could soon become the country's second largest religious group, overtaking Muslims.[42]
Also Protestantism, especially in its Evangelical and Pentecostal forms, is on the rise: Introvigne recalls howGiorgio Bouchard, a Waldensian pastor, told him that "when he was born, the typical Italian Protestant was a man, lived in Piedmont, had a last name like Bouchard and was a Waldensian", while "today, the typical Italian Protestant believer is a woman, lives in Campania or Sicily, is named Esposito and is a Pentecostal."[42] Not surprisingly theAssemblies of God in Italy (150,000 members), theFederation of Pentecostal Churches (50,000) and several smaller Evangelical/Pentecostal denominations have the majority of their communities in the South.[37][43][44] Additionally, several foreign-born churches, especiallyAfrican Pentecostal andAfrican-initiated churches, mostly Evangelical and/or Pentecostal, are taking roots in the country, especially in the North,[45][46] where most foreign residents live.
Among the fastest-growing new religious denominations in Italy a special place is held by theJehovah's Witnesses (who count around 414,000 faithful, including both members and other people regularly attending theCongregation's meetings).[37][47] Then come four faiths professed mainly by immigrants:Buddhists (360,000),[37]Hindus (220,000),[37]Sikhs,[48] andMormons (28,500).[37][49] According toCaritas Italiana (the CEI's charitable arm), in 2023 the immigrant population was 48.2% Christian (26.8% Orthodox, 16.5% Catholic, 4.3% Protestant and 0.7% other), 34.2% Muslim, 3.3% Hindu and 2.8% Buddhist.[37] According to the same source, in 2012 Italy was home to 850 "African Neo-Pentecostal churches", 750 foreign-language Catholic communities, 655 mosques or other Islamic houses of worship, 355 Orthodox parishes, 126 Buddhist temples, 60 Sikh ones and 2 Hindu ones.[50]
Sikhs are a growing religious minority in Italy, which has the second biggest Sikh population in Europe after theUnited Kingdom and sixth largest number of Sikhs in the world. Differently fromCESNUR (a non-profit organisation focused on studying religious pluralism), according to other estimates, there might be between 200,000 and 220,000 Sikhs in Italy.[48][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62] Most Sikhs currently reside and work in the agricultural sector in Emilia (mostly in theParmesan cheese district),Lazio and Veneto.[63][64][65][66] 5,000-5,800 Sikh soldiers died for the liberation of Italy duringWorld War II.[67][68][69]
According to CESNUR, in 2023 in Italy there were about 3,200 adherents to pre-Christian, neo-pagan or neo-shamanic indigenous religions.[37] Modern forms of native polytheism is represented byReconstructionist Roman religion, which includes organisations such asNova Roma, theAssociazione Tradizionale Pietas,Communitas Populi Romani, theMovimento Tradizionale Romano, and theSocietas Hesperiana pro Culto Deorum. There are also pagans belonging to other European religions, such asHeathenism, to which theComunità Odinista and theTempio del Lupo belong;Druidism,Hellenism andWicca.[70]
TheNatale di Roma, historically known asDies Romana and also referred to as Romaia, the festival linked to thefoundation of Rome, celebrated on 21 April.[71] According tolegend,Romulus is said to have founded the city ofRome on 21 April,753 BC. From this date, the Roman chronology derived its system, known by theLatin phraseAb Urbe condita, meaning"from the founding of the City", which counted the years from this presumed foundation.
The religious composition of the Italian population (2023 estimate: 58,997,201 people, including 53,966,485 Italian citizens and 5,030,716 foreign residents)[72] is shown in the table below. The primary data source is the aforementioned CESNUR, which includes the data on foreign residents provided by Caritas Italiana.[37][73]
Due to the lack of a single, coherent and statistically accurate source, the figures are to be taken with a grain of salt and sums do not necessarily add up. The number of Catholics among Italian citizens is calculated using the latest Eurobarometer poll, released in 2021: according to the survey 79.2% of Italians are Catholic.[16] The numbers of Christians are consequently calculated, including that number and the data provided by CESNUR and Caritas Italiana.
Also religious denominations which have a relevant presence in the country, but for which there are no data, are included in the table.
Religious practice, especiallychurch attendance, is still high in Italy when compared to the average country inWestern Europe.
According to the 2017Being Christian in Western Europe survey by Pew, 58% of Italians consider religion to be very or somewhat important.[86] Italy was the only country in the survey having more practising Christians than non-practising ones.[87] Italy is the third European Union member in terms of highest weekly church attendance rates after Poland and Ireland.[88] From 2001 to 2022 religious practice in Italy has steadily decreased. Although in surveys most of the population claims areligious identity,[a] according to theItalian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) data, less than 19%[b] of Italians have declared themselves to be practicing. At the same time the proportion of those who have never practiced a religion has doubled, from 16% in 2001 to 31% in 2022.[89][90][91]
ISTAT found in 2015 that 29.0% of the population went to a house of worship on a weekly basis. The share of practising believers was higher inSouthern Italy (33.5%) than theNorth-West (27.7%), theNorth-East (26.8%) and theCentre (25.0%). Religious practice was particularly high inSicily (37.3%), inCampania (35.4%),Calabria (34.8%),Apulia (32.6%) andMolise (30.9%) in the South, inVeneto (32.4%)—once dubbed "white Veneto" because ofChristian Democracy's strength there (white being the party's official colour)—andTrentino (31.4%) in the North-East, inMarche (31.6%) in the Centre. It was particularly low inLiguria (18.6%),Aosta Valley (21.0%),Friuli-Venezia Giulia (21.9%), andSardinia (21.9%) and the so-called "red regions" (long-time strongholds of the left-wing/centre-left, from theItalian Communist Party to the currentDemocratic Party), especiallyTuscany (19.4%) andEmilia-Romagna (21.6%).[92]
After theunification of Italy, predominantly supported by secular and anti-clerical forces, and especially thecapture of Rome in 1870 which marked the final defeat of thePapal States by theKingdom of Italy and gave birth to the so-calledRoman question over the temporal power of thePope,[93] Catholics largely self-excluded themselves from active politics, while the few Protestants usually supported Italian unity. As a result, all the main political parties and parliamentary groupings were secular in character until the early 20th century.
In 1905 theItalian Catholic Electoral Union was formed in order to coordinate the participation of Catholic voters in the Italian electoral contests.[94] The party had minor but significant results and, under the so-calledGentiloni Pact in 1913, it entered in alliance with the establishmentLiberals.[95]
AfterWorld War I, Catholics organised theItalian People's Party,[96] as part of theChristian democracy movement.
DuringFascist Italy, the Roman question was settled through theLateran Treaty, signed by theHoly See and the Kingdom of Italy in 1929. These gave birth to the State ofVatican City. Fascism persecuted religious minorities: in 1935 the Pentecostal faith was outlawed, through an order signed by undersecretary of the InteriorGuido Buffarini Guidi,[97] and since 1938 Jews were targeted by the infamousracial laws and were later victims ofgenocide in the context ofthe Holocaust.
TheItalian resistance movement saw the participation of Catholics,[98] Protestants (Waldensians were especially active in theAction Party)[99] and Jews (through theJewish Brigade). In 1943 a group of Catholics, including several former members of the Italian People's Party and several members of Catholic Action, formedChristian Democracy, a Catholic-inspired but formally non-denominational party, which would dominate Italian politics until 1994. Its first leader,Alcide De Gasperi, headed the Italian government from 1945 to 1953 and was followed by Christian Democrats until 1981.[100] AfterWorld War II, the Catholic Church, after some initial reservations (Pope Pius XII favoured a solution similar to that of the Church inFrancoist Spain, while some cardinals wanted a plurality of Catholic parties, possibly including a communist one), actively supported Christian Democracy[101][102] and the so-called "political unity of Catholics".[103]
However, both Waldensians and Jews have played an important role in Italian politics. While several Catholic-inspired parties also rose to political prominence after Christian Democracy's dissolution in 1994 (from the newItalian People's Party toDemocracy is Freedom, from theChristian Democratic Centre to theUnion of the Centre, fromForza Italia to the newForza Italia), Waldensians have usually been active in "secular" parties, especially theItalian Socialist Party,Italian Communist Party and, more recently, theDemocratic Party, which is also home to former left-wing Christian Democrats. More recently, a group of conservative Pentecostals set up theExtended Christian Pact party. Also Jews have mostly been active in "secular" parties, but they have recently been more divided.Valdo Spini, a Waldensian, was minister in 1993–1994, whileLucio Malan, a conservative Waldensian, is currently the leader ofBrothers of Italy in theSenate.
TheConstitution of Italy recognises the Catholic Church and the state as "independent and sovereign, each within its own sphere" (article 7), in respect of the liberal principle ofseparation of church and state. In particular, the Lateran Treaty of 1929 (signed underBenito Mussolini), which gave a special status to the Church, is recognised and modifications "accepted by both parties" to such treaty are allowed without the need ofconstitutional amendments. In fact, the treaty was later modified by a new agreement between the state and the Church in 1984 (under Prime MinisterBettino Craxi), according to which Catholicism ceased to be the state religion. However, only the Catholic Church has aconcordat with the Republic.
Freedom of religion is also recognised, with "all religious denominations" having "the right of self-organisation according to their own statutes, provided these do not conflict with Italian law"; "[t]heir relations with the state are regulated by law, based on agreements with their respective representatives" (article 8).[104] Having an agreement with the Italian government is not needed in order to appoint chaplains in hospitals and jails and to be partially financed by taxpayers' money.[105] Agreements are by no means a right of individual religious denominations and are determined by political choice. Since 1984, theItalian government has signed fourteen agreements and thirteen have been approved by theItalian Parliament and signed into law, including the following:[106]
Additionally, there is one agreement endorsed by the government, but not yet signed into law:
Under theeight per thousand system, Italian taxpayers can choose to whom devolve a compulsory "eight per thousand tax" of 0.8% from their annual income tax return between an organised religion recognised by Italy or, alternatively, to awelfare spending scheme run by the government.[108] In 2021, the latest available fiscal year, 11.6 million taxpayers (27.9%) chose the Catholic Church, 0.5 million (1.2%) the Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches, 0.18 million (0.4%) the Italian Buddhist Union, 0.08 million (0.2%) the Soka Gakkai Italian Buddhist Institute, 0.05 million (0.1%) the Union of Jewish Communities in Italy, 0.04 million (0.1%) the Evangelical Christian Churches Assemblies of God in Italy, 0.04 million (0.1%) the Sacred Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy and Exarchate of Southern Europe and so on.[109] The "eight per thousand tax" has thus disproportionately helped some minor denominations, particularly Waldensians.
In 2023, Italy was scored 4 out of 4 for religious freedom.[110]
Today, Italy has the largest Sikh population in Europe, only second to the United Kingdom, with an estimated number of 220,000
it had chosen the city of Brixia because Italy had over 200,000 Sikhs living in the county with a majority in Brescia.
That it had chosen the city of Brixia because Italy had over 200,000 Sikhs living in it with a majority in Brescia
About 200,000 Sikhs live in different cities of Italy.
About 200,000 Sikhs live in different cities of Italy.
Italy has over 200,000 Sikhs who are active members of the Italian population, which is why this city was chosen
It is estimated that there are around 220,000 Sikh migrants in Italy. The community, however, has been largely invisible to native Italians. The majority of Sikhs are dairy workers, living far from the cities, and settled mainly in the farms of north and central Italy.
The total number of Indians in Italy has now crossed 200,000, making it the largest Indian diaspora in continental Europe and far greater than the 30,000 estimated in Spain. This Indian contingent is mainly made up of Punjabi Jat Sikhs.
According to Gallo (2013), by contrast, the Sikhs would number at least 100,000. Barbara Bertolani estimates in 2013 "My own data gathered within the Sikh community in Italy show Sikh people constituting about 70% of all the Indians present, i.e., at least 84,000 residents
Up to 150,000 Sikhs now live there, making it the largest Sikh Community in Europe after the one in Britain
Despite the estimated 220,000 Sikh immigrants who inhabit the Po Valley, there seems to a whiff of change in the air
About 200,000 Sikhs live in different cities of Italy.
The vegan diet, the cult, the traditions. Customs and symbols of the 150,000 faithful of the religion born in India who now live in the Bel Paese
Manjit Singh is part of a large community of Sikhs in northern Italy who are shoring up an industry under threat of extinction
There are roughly 60,000 Sikhs living in the area, the second largest cluster in Italy. Roughly 800 of them work in the 2,000 dairy farms
There are roughly 60,000 Sikhs living in the area and roughly 800 out of them work in 2,000 dairy farms that specialize in producing mozzarella and buffalo milk
About 8,500 soldiers have given their martyrdom for the sake of freedom in our country.
For the liberation of Italy, 5773 British-Indian Soldiers laid down their lives in Italy, of which the majority were Sikhs. Besides Forly, Sikhs also fought in Cassino, Florence, Ravana and Sangro River during World War II.
the survey shows that non-practicing Christians (defined, for the purposes of this report, as people who identify as Christians, but attend church services no more than a few times per year) make up the biggest share of the population across the region. In every country except Italy, they are more numerous than church-attending Christians (those who go to religious services at least once a month).
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