Scottish Catholic Observer

Italy has won its appeal against a landmark European Court of Human Rights ruling banning the display of Crucifixes in school classrooms.

Italy was acquitted today of the charge of violating human rights.

The ECHR ruling was acclaimed by Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, who had described the case as ‘a major battle for freedom of faith’ required to stop believers having to hide ‘in catacombs.’

Speaking ahead of the majority decision, the foreign minister said he was optimistic the Court would rule ‘that the Crucifix is not a symbol that divides but rather one that unites’ people.

He said he based his views on the fact that for the first time in the Court’s history, 10 member states from the Council of Europe, the human rights body that founded the ECHR, had intervened in support of Italy.

Present as the ruling was read out were Italian officials and representatives of the 10 countries: Armenia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Romania, Russia and San Marino.

Also there was the Finnish-born Italian citizen who first brought up the case against Crosses in her two sons’ classrooms 10 years ago, Sonia Lautsi. In November 2009, the ECHR said the display of crosses in Italian schools violated children’s and parents’ freedom of belief, prompting Rome to request that the matter be referred to the court’s appeal body, the Grand Chamber. The Grand Chamber only rarely agrees to hear appeals and only on matters deemed of particular significance throughout the Council of Europe’s 47 member states.

Joseph Weiler, the jurist representing the 10 Council of Europe members supporting Italy, said that: “Italy without the Crucifix would no longer be Italy.”

“The Crucifix is both a national and a religious symbol,” he said, suggesting that religious references and symbols are pervasive in Europe and do not necessarily connote Faith.

To read court ruling click here: http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?item=1&portal=hbkm&action=html&highlight=30814/06&sessionid=68222727&skin=hudoc-en