SOMMARIO. – 1. L’insegnamento religioso nella scuola pubblica italiana: un elemento di continuità nell’evoluzione storica – 2. Insegnamento religioso e modelli di scuola pubblica – 3. L’attuale disciplina dell’insegnamento religioso nella scuola pubblica italiana - 4. Lo stato giuridico dei docenti di religione - 5. La normativa delle Intese - 6. Le sfide attuali, tra motivi di continuità ed esigenze di rinnovamento – 7. Prospettive di riforma e spunti ricostruttivi – 8. La proposta di un insegnamento aconfessionale di religione - 9. Due piccole proposte: l’“education about religion” e il superamento dello “stato di non obbligo” – 10. Osservazioni conclusive.

Religious education in State schools in Italy: a national heritage to innovate

ABSTRACT: This paper examines, in the context of the country’s increasing religious diversity and the growing presence of religion in the public sphere, the regulation of religious education in public and State schools according to the Italian system of law. The latter actually provides an opt-in state-funded Catholic religious education together with the possibility of organizing optional religious education for all recognised denominations holding an agreement with the State. After some preliminary remarks on the origins and current contents of this legal framework, which reflects a difference of treatment among religions due to the cultural and historical background of the country, the paper focuses on some reform schemes that have been recently put forward. In particular, it examines in some detail the one concerning the introduction of a compulsory non-denominational course on religions, taking into consideration the pros and cons of each one. In the end it makes some conclusive remarks on the line of decisions of Italian courts on the issue and the impact of religious education as a whole upon the state schools’ system in Italy.