Compulsory #crucifixes in Italian classrooms? Not a good sign | Paul Sims | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
►http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2011/mar/25/crucifixes-italian-classrooms-echr
A neutral state is crucial to secularism, which is why those in favour of such a system view the Lautsi case as a defeat. The crucifix is not, as the Italian government laughably tried to argue, an “ethical symbol” which “could be perceived as devoid of religious significance”, but the single most recognisable symbol of the Christian faith. How could its compulsory display in classrooms possibly be compatible with a plural society, in which the state favours no single religious or philosophical position?
It’s worth noting, also, that the Lautsi judgement has implications beyond the classroom.