Contenuti per la categoria: Church autonomy

Summary: 1. Introduction - 2. Italian legal responses to COVID-19: the Italian constitutional and legal framework on religious freedom - 3. The suspension of religious assemblies during phase one of the pandemic - 4. A “cautious resumption” of religious gatherings during the phase two in Italy - 5. U.S. legal responses to COVID-19: U.S. constitutional and legal framework about religious freedom - 6. The legal patchwork because of the pandemic - 7. Judicial balance between individual liberties and the preservation of health - 8. Litigation in lower courts about the exercise of religious freedom during Covid-19 - 9 New creative ways of worshipping in Covid-19 times: drive-in religious services - 10. Third-party burdens and the successful nondiscrimination approach - 11. Department of Justice statements - 12 Supreme Court intervention in temporary state restrictions on religious assemblies - 13. “Religious America” and “secular” Italy during Covid-19 phase one - 14. Management of religious freedom during the pandemic and the lack or presence of a statute governing religious freedom - 15. Effect of the pandemic on the question of whose religious freedom should be protected - 16. Guaranteeing a fair level of religious accommodation during a pandemic - 17. Enhanced need to balance the exercise of religious freedom with third-party harm during a pandemic - 18. Impact of the pandemic on the exercise of religious freedom in the long term.

ABSTRACT: The so-called lockdown, imposed to restrain (or at least limit) the spread of COVID-19, has, in the over four seemingly endless months since it started, had an overwhelming impact not only on our personal lives, but also on domestic regulatory frameworks. Legal systems responded individually, and with differences to the pandemic emergency, ranging from a complete interruption of the collective exercise of religious worship (Italy), to a more cautious recognition of forms of religious accommodation (United States). The present paper compares the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the exercise of religious freedom in the United States and the Italian legal contexts, and investigates how the pandemic crisis emphasized underlying judicial, political, sociocultural, and economic challenges, giving rise to a tension between competing rights and exacerbating concerns about the “special” role of religion. As the COVID situation is changing so rapidly in the United States, in Italy, and around the world, I clarify that the information in the present paper relates at the situation as at the end of June 2020.

SOMMARIO: 1. Introduzione - 2. La religione e la vita nella società - 3. Quello che il principio di laicità non è - 4. Lo Stato laico brasiliano - 5. Considerazioni finali.

The secular State and its implications on the brazilian model

ABSTRACT: For many years Law and Religion were subjects considered unnecessary by some, and, by others, analyzed with reservations and featured as a not legal topic. However, both of the matters has become important issues in the political, legal and social discussions, especially during political campaign, when moral, ethical and religious issues are brought to debate. Although many countries, as Brasil - for example, have been disussing the subject, the numerous and different interfaces between them, most of the time do not take into consideration the constitutional foundations, axiological and cultural values, and pasrticularly the spiritual aspect of the human being as the structuring of human life. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to clarify the conceptual unfolding of the Principle of Secularity and the characterization of the Secular State in Brazil, with the aim of demonstrating that the Brazilian model of Secularity does not mean the absence of religiosity in the public sphere, but the guarantee and safeguard all your expressions.

SOMMARIO: 1. L’intervento della Suprema Corte federale americana in tema di compatibilità della normativa emergenziale con la Free Exercise Clause - 2. I termini della questione originariamente sollevata e la pronunzia del giudice di primo grado - 3. L’appello dinanzi alla Corte del Nono Circuito e l’opinione dissenziente del giudice Collins - 4. Il problema della costituzionalità delle misure restrittive incidenti sulla libertà di culto nei contrapposti orientamenti seguiti dalle Corti inferiori - 5. Gli argomenti posti a fondamento del ricorso alla Corte Suprema - 6. La contrapposizione tra judicial deference e lettura rigorosamente neutrale dei termini della vicenda portata all’esame dei giudici - 7. Una riproposizione dei canoni di stretta neutralità anche nell’interpretazione dei principi costituzionali in materia religiosa? - 8. Notazioni conclusive.

Anti-Covid Law vs. Free Exercise Clause in US Supreme Court Case Law: is it a Return to the Doctrine of “Neutrality” in the Interpretation of Religious Clauses of the First Amendment?

ABSTRACT: The paper analyzes the question of wheter the Stay-at-Home Order and the Reopening Plan that were issued by the State of California to combat the Covid-19 pandemic discriminate against places of worship in violation of the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. In South Bay United Pentecostal Church vs. Newsom, the Supreme Court of the United States upholds California’s guidelines for places of worship that limit religious worship services to 25% of a building’s capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, because similar restrictions apply to comparable secular gatherings.

SOMMARIO: - Parte Prima. Un virus tra Stato e Chiesa cattolica - 1. Brevi considerazioni introduttive - 2. Misure di contenimento della diffusione della malattia da Covid-19 in Italia: il quadro normativo - 3. Le (cogenti) misure restrittive sull’esercizio del culto - 4. Limiti alla libertà della missione pastorale ed alla libera organizzazione del pubblico esercizio del culto, del magistero e del ministero spirituale della Chiesa cattolica - 5. Un virus nei principi di bilateralità e degli ordini distinti - Parte Seconda. Limiti alla libertà religiosa ed all’esercizio del culto nell’emergenza sanitaria - 6. Strumenti normativi per fronteggiare la crisi sanitaria e questioni di legittimità: brevi cenni - 7. Libertà religiosa e diritto alla salute: bilanciamento tra diritti fondamentali - 8. L’anima dei cives-fideles ai tempi del coronavirus.

Souls quarantine of the cives-fideles. The exercise of worship in the health emergency from Covid-19 in Italy

ABSTRACT: The Italian government has issued regulatory provisions during the lockdown due to health emergency from Covid-19, in order to prevent the spread of epidemiological outbreaks. These new rules have not fulfilled the agreements made with Catholic Church, specificly article 2 of Agreement 1984, especially about the freedom of management and organization of pastoral activities, and they have imposed serious restrictions on the right to religious freedom too. In particular, in order to avoid gatherings, the emergency rules have suppressed the religious ceremonies, as well as masses and last rites. Only recently the right to exercise worship was partially allowed and on May 7th, 2020, a Protocol was signed with Italian Episcopal Conference for the gradual reopening of the celebrations coram populo. The issue concerns the balance between the right to health and the rights of freedom. The question is whether this balance of rights was correctly applied.

SOMMARIO: 1. Premessa - 2. I pezzi si muovono sulla scacchiera - 3. Azioni e reazioni (cenni) - 4. La libertà religiosa non è a rischio: il problema sta altrove - 5. “Predicare bene e razzolare male” - 6. Un protocollo ti salva la vita - 7. Un passo avanti … e due indietro - Appendice.

Short remarks on the governance of religious practices between egalitarian requests and complaisant solutions

ABSTRACT: In Italy, in the context of the Covid-19 emergency, issues concerning the governance of religious practices have emerged and have been faced by different religious groups. In this contribution political and legal distortions are analyzed in the context of the non-coherent (according to the author) reading of the constitutional framework by the Italian government.

SOMMARIO: 1. Costituzione, neutralità e cooperazione - 2. La nomina degli arcivescovi, vescovi e coadiutori - 3. Nomina del vicariato militare - 4. Notifica della denuncia di azioni criminali - 5. Autonomia della Chiesa e diritti fondamentali dei suoi fedeli - 6. Assistenza religiosa - 7. Insegnamento della religione cattolica - 8. Creazione e gestione delle università cattoliche - 9. Finanziamento sulla base dell’IRPEF - 10. Finanziamento indiretto - 11. Alcune conclusioni.

Agreements between Spain and the Holy See. Doubts about their constitutionality and need for change

ABSTRACT: The Agreements between Spain and the Holy See were signed forty years ago, and there are still doubts about their constitutionality. This paper studies the main topics related to the agreements from the constitutional perspective: the participation of the head of the State in the appointment of bishops (particularly the Military Vicar General); the teaching of the Catholic religion in the public school; the Catholic military chaplains in the armed forces; or the public financing of the Catholic Church through the personal income tax. Finally, the paper analyzes the agreements as a technique of cooperation between the State and the Catholic Church.

SOMMARIO: 1. Premessa - 2. La democrazia in pericolo? - 3. La libertà religiosa tra Costituzione e Concordato - 4. Sulla libertas Ecclesiae e sulle regole del diritto internazionale - 5. Le trattative diplomatiche de facto tra la CEI e il Governo e il dibattito pubblico - 6. Il FEC e il (mancato) trasferimento della proprietà delle chiese con personalità giuridica in favore dell’autorità ecclesiastica: un case study.

Trifles for a pandemic

ABSTRACT: The emergency regulations for the containment of Covid-19 as well as affecting religious freedom (art. 19 of the Italian Constitution) can also be relevant from the point of view of the bilaterality of the pact between the Italian State and the Holy See by opening up to the principles of international law and the Vienna Convention the entrance to the list of instruments that can be applied for the solution of the problem, alongside the usual pragmatic instruments of realpolitik.

SOMMARIO: 1 - Introduzione - 2. Il quadro pluralistico dell’ebraismo diasporico e delle sue organizzazioni - 3. Peculiarità dell’organizzazione dell’ebraismo italiano - 4. Pluralismo interno e tensioni nel contesto unitario delle Comunità - 5. Le origini storiche del peculiare assetto organizzativo dell’ebraismo italiano: l’assenza del movimento riformato in Italia e la normativa statualistica del 1930-31 - 6. La struttura unitaria e l’adesione delle Comunità all’ortodossia nello Statuto e nell’Intesa - 7. Conclusioni: la necessaria conciliazione tra pluralismo e unitarietà tra le varie anime dell’ebraismo italiano.

The Union of Italian Jewish Communities between adherence to Orthodox Judaism and representation of all Jew in Italy: Is the constitutional Agreement of 1987 with the Italian State still adequate?

ABSTRACT: Relations between Italian Judaism and the Italian State are governed legally by the Agreement (“Intesa”) concluded in 1987 pursuant to Article 8 of the Italian Constitution, enforced by Law No. 101 of 1989.The organization of the Italian Jewish communities and their central “Union” is governed by the By-Laws (“Statuto”) adopted by them at that time, which reflect the Intesa. In conformity also with the tradition of Italian Judaism local communities take care of all Jewish activities, religious, social or educational, and the Unione officially represents all Jews and Jewish groups. Since 1987 however, there has been an explosion of various Jewish groups and denominations in Italy, from the Lubavitch to Reformed groups, which organize themselves autonomously. These groups considers themselves part of Italian Judaism and recognize more or less the central role of the local communities and Unione. However they increasingly ask a say in the latter management.. The issue discussed in the paper is whether the unitary structure of Italian Judaism, as enshrined in Intesa and recognized by Italian public authorities, is still adequate to cope with this evolution, and whether a plurality of independent Jewish organizations, separately recognized by Italian authorities would be compatible with Article 8 of the Constitution and preferable in practice.

SOMMARIO: 1. Premessa - 2. Sharia compliant - 3. Murabah - 4. Ijaraha - 5. Istisna’a - 6. Sukuk - 7. Conclusioni.

Islamic finance compatibility with the Italian legislation

ABSTRACT: Some verses of Allah that were revealed to the Prophet Mohammad in Quran were regarding economic issues. Further they were enriched in the legal framework of reference by other sources of Islamic law “Sharia” like; the Hadith (the sayings of the Prophet transmitted first orally and then transcribed), the Sunna (the tradition dictated by the words and actions of the prophet and the remembrance of the prophet statements by his first followers), and finally of Fiqh that is the Islamic jurisprudence dictated by the doctrinal interpretation of the various juridical schools. Islamic finance products which are derived from Sharia based on religious principles are very compatible with the system of traditional financial products, except for some ethical (excluded by the Sharia supervisory board) and fiscal (to avoid double taxation measures of some Islamic finance transactions), which could enhance the market attaractiveness prespective. The present study aims to investigate and identify the regulatory changes that can be implemented in the Italian legislations to make them compatible with the applicability of the typical Islamic financial contracts.

SOMMARIO: 1. Unilateralità e/o bilateralità dei provvedimenti Covid-19 e libertà della Chiesa - 2. L’esercizio della libertà religiosa di fronte alla pandemia - 3. Gli atti rituali nell’era del Covid-19 - 4. La dimensione territoriale della religione.

The Pope and the challenge of the pandemic

ABSTRACT: The measures taken to tackle the pandemic, although taken unilaterally by the State, were shared by the ecclesiastical authority without giving rise to disputes. Pope Francis unilaterally adopted ways of celebrating the rites and administering the sacraments in order to protect life. His innovative use of the media has updated the language, the forms of celebration of the rites and collective participation of the Catholic faithful, arousing perplexity in some faithful who complain about violations of religious freedom and the principle of bilaterality in Church-State relations.