The November 3rd ECHR ruling, made in response to a complaint by an Italian secularist campaigner, said that the display of crucifixes violated the religious rights of pupils. Posted on 11/17/2009 10:39:50 AM PST by NYer
ROME, November 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Poland's president, Lech Kaczynski and the leadership of the Greek Orthodox Church have both hit out at a decision by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) attempting to ban the display of crucifixes in Italian public schools. At the same time, a general revolt against the ruling in municipalities all over Italy has been started by public officials, who are now ordering the display of crucifixes in schools, and levelling fines for non-compliance.
The November 3rd ECHR ruling, made in response to a complaint by an Italian secularist campaigner, said that the display of crucifixes violated the religious rights of pupils.
During Independence Day celebrations on Wednesday in Warsaw, Poland's Kaczynski said that "nobody in Poland will accept the message that you can't hang crosses in schools."
"One shouldn't count on that. Perhaps elsewhere, but never in Poland," Kaczynski said.
The reaction from Poland has touched a national nerve in a country where crucifixes and other religious symbols were banned under the atheistic communist rule and are now a prominent symbol of national sovereignty.
Lech Walesa, the former president and leader of the Solidarity movement that eventually freed Poland from its Soviet-controlled communist dictatorship, challenged the court ruling in a TV interview Thursday, saying, "We must respect minorities but also protect the rights of the majority."
At the same time, Archbishop Ieronymos, the Archbishop of Athens and primate of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece has also spoken out, urging all Europeans to oppose the ruling, saying the court is ignoring the role of Christianity in forming Europe's identity. The Greek Church has intervened in the case in response to a Greek citizen whose son is studying in Italy, the BBC reports.
The reactions from Greece and Poland reflect the warning made recently by UK legal expert Neil Addison, who told LifeSiteNews.com that, because of the intricacies of European Union law, the Italian crucifix ruling is likely ultimately to affect all 27 member states.
Addison, an author and expert on anti-discrimination law, said that if the Italian government loses their appeal, the ruling could result in the enforced exclusion of all public displays of Christian symbols all over Europe. Addison specifically warned that in countries like Greece and Cyprus, the common display of icons in public places would be under threat.
In fact, since the November 3rd ruling was announced, a secularist activist group in Greece, the Greek Helsinki Monitor, has called for a similar ruling to be applied to that country. The group is urging trade unions to challenge the presence of religious symbols in Greek schools.
The BBC reports that the Orthodox Church plans to hold an emergency Holy Synod to hash out a plan to oppose the ruling.
Meanwhile, Italian papers are reporting a general revolt across the country against the Strasburg ruling. All schools in the League Monza in the Lombardy region, have been given seven days to ensure that crucifixes are displayed in every classroom. The mayor of Besana in Brianza, Vittorio Gatti, signed an order levelling a €150 fine for non-compliance.
Mayor Gatti said, "We will give principals time to adjust, but then the order will be respected."
In a statement published on the municipality's website, the mayor referred to the ECHR decision, saying, "We believe that the crucifix is a symbolic expression in Italy of the religious origin of such important civic values as tolerance, mutual respect, enhancement of the person, freedom, solidarity and rejection of any discrimination."
"I believe I have decided the right thing. I have always seen crucifixes in schools and I believe we should have respect for our traditions and defend them against those who do not even know what they're talking about," Gatti said.
The mayor of Priverno in the province of Latina, Lazio, central Italy, signed an order which provides for the maintenance of crucifixes in classrooms of primary schools throughout the municipality. Mayor Umberto Macci, instructed the municipal police to check that crucifixes are in place, with non-compliance to be fined €500. Citing 1924 and 1927 regulations on school furniture, which provided for the display of crucifixes in schools, the mayor said they are "an expression of fundamental civic values and Italian cultural values."
The mayor of Ascoli Piceno in the in the Marche region near the central east coast, said the crucifix expresses "in a symbolic way, the origin of religious values of the republican constitution. I am referring to freedom, mutual respect, appreciation of the person, solidarity and the rejection of any discrimination."
Mayor Guido Castelli cited state laws that agreed the display of crucifixes in classrooms "does not seem open to criticism over the principle of secularism" of the Italian State.
Good for them. We in this country need to start defying these bigoted laws the same way.
My Italian relatives would be very happy to hear you say this.
This raises the whole issue of sovereignty.
In the 20th century, the word pretty well lost its meaning. A “sovereign nation” was any nation that the UN agreed to recognize.
But in traditional international law, sovereignty means two things: the ability to defend yourself against attack or invasion, and the ability to maintain the rule of law within your borders.
Is Italy a sovereign state? Yes. They have an army and a navy and they have police.
Is the EU a sovereign state? Well, the countries of Europe have agreed to recognize them. But where’s their army? How will they enforce this decision if Italy and Poland and probably several other countries refuse to obey it or to pay the fines?
The EU tends to be a totalitarian bureaucracy that imposes rules without worrying much how people will like them. But they would be wise to avoid imposing laws which they cannot enforce. That could potentially undermine their authority and even bring the EU down, if they aren’t careful.
The EU does have economic sanctions. But can they afford to threaten Italy with such sanctions over a ruling like this?
Their easiest out would be to reverse this ruling on appeal.
And there you have the REAL reason I voted for Bob McDonnell - he's quite capable of telling the Feds where to get off.
Forza Italia!
The Republican Party can take a lesson from them.
As far as EU fines are concerned that’s not true. The ECHR doesn’t have the power to do that neither does the Council of Ministers who enforce the ECHR rulings.
The court cannot levy fines. They must go to the council of ministers and the only thing they can do is expel the member.
Where did this person get this idea about fines of millions of euros?
love and proud of it.
I will not stand idly by and see this great country go the same way as Europe.
One would think that the left would learn from mistakes but it seems they do not.
As for health care then I am shocked how those on the left keep saying how Govt health care is great, maybe they should go and live under it and then have a say about it...
Appeal to all Freepers in Italy and Europe...
Surely, the name of this "Italian Secularist" is already known.
What is the name of this nutjob who would rule over nations, with the help of a third rate group in a third rate country?
If despotism from whatever source has no consequences, we are sure to get more of it.
Bravo to the mayors.
If freedom is not defended, the freedom is taken away.
Let’s hope this leads to disintegration of the new Evil Empire of European Union.
Crumble, Crumble, toil and tumble.
Leftist dribble scores a fumble.
Euro-Union Court turns into a fool.
For ruling to keep Crucifix out of school.
We would ALL do well to remember the type who calls for these sorts of religious intolerance.
The court cannot levy fines. They must go to the council of ministers and the only thing they can do is expel the member.
Where did this person get this idea about fines of millions of euros?
OK so you wanted me to ask you where you got this idea. Then you asked yourself because I didn’t and you still haven’t provided an answer.
Don’t tell me I’m wrong until you cite your source. Mine is the Committee of Ministers, Council of Europe website. They say that the ultimate responsibility for enforcing judgments is the state.
It’s like the UN.
Can you even GET the video? Google says AlJazeera wouldn’t play it.
Hey Nyer you know what I found out it is Italian mom who want secular education for her kid she is divorcee mom I want to know what her ex husband think
I thought crufix and Italian mothers go together that not UN PC what I saying that what I thought I hear about this lady gripe on UK Daily mail on Sunday cycles few months ago
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it up to the point where he gets killed, standing up, shouting, and trying to pull off the hood. And just because the mainstream media isn’t showing it doesn’t mean that the media or the Italian government doesn’t have it. I’m sure they do.
Like The Assisi Underground.
Good! It’s about time that someone grew a pair...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.