Families and Religions in Italy : Educational Issues

This article highlights the multiple and complex educational issues related to families and religions in Italy. Italy is coming to terms with weary Catholicism, the advancement of atheism and agnosticism among young people, the increase in faiths other than traditional ones, the recurring need for new or alternative forms of spirituality. Italian families are depicted as corks in the ocean of a society that has lost its sense of education and where parents are laxer than proactive. If you observe how Italians live their Christian faith, you will notice different ways: elderly people are very religious, adults lead more essential and sober lives of faith, whereas young people between 18 and 34 years of age are noticeably less involved in the religious sphere. Beside catholic faith – professed by most Italians – there is a wide variety of religious denominations indicating a clear change in the social and religious geography of our country. The existence of minority religions in the public arena calls upon the role that educational agencies may play in the education of citizens and their families. Indeed, education for religious pluralism is all the more necessary, in the awareness that religious illiteracy hinders the creation of a culture of responsible citizenship and produces democratic illiteracy.