Vatican welomes "historic" EU ruling on crucifix in schools

The Vatican has welcomed Friday’s ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that crucifixes are acceptable in public school classrooms, as a “difficult but “historic” decision. The ruling overturns a previous lower court decision in a 2009 Italian case that said the crucifix could be disturbing to non-Christian or atheist pupils and it will be binding in 47 countries.

Several countries, led by the Italian government, appealed that ruling, which lead to Thursday’s verdict by the Court’s Grand Chambre that it found no evidence “that the display of such a symbol on classroom walls might have an influence on pupils.”

Reacting to the ruling, o Vatican Press Office Director, Fr Federico Lombardi described it as “a very difficult decision” and one that “makes history”.

Fr Lombardi commented that “La Grande Chambre has in fact reversed a decision at first instance, adopted unanimously by a Chamber of the Court, which gave rise not only to the Italian government the action but also the support of many other European countries to an unprecedented extent, and the adhesion of many non-governmental organizations, that represent the feeling of vast populations. Therefore it has been recognized, at an authoritative legal and international level, that the culture of human rights should not be placed in conflict with the religious foundations of European civilization to which Christianity has made a major contribution”.

He continued that the ruling “also recognizes that, under the principle of subsidiarity, we should guarantee each country a margin of appreciation regarding the value of religious symbols in their cultural history and national identity and the place of their exposure (as has also been reiterated by judgments of the supreme courts of some European countries)”.

Otherwise Fr. Lombardi concluded “paradoxically in the name of religious freedom, there would instead be a tendency to restrict or even deny this freedom, resulting in the exclusion of its public expression. And in doing so this very freedom would be violated, obscuring its specific and legitimate identity. The Court therefore said that the display of the crucifix is not indoctrination, but a cultural and religious expression of countries of Christian tradition. The new ruling by the Grand Chambre is also welcome because it contributes effectively to restore confidence in the European Court of Human Rights for a majority of Europeans who are convinced and aware of the role of Christian values in their own history, but also in building European unity and its culture of law and freedom”. Listen to Emer McCarthy's report: