Italian lawmakers are introducing legislation which would discipline teachers who ban Christian Nativity scenes from classrooms in the name of cultural sensitivity.
The bill was introduced by senators from the Brothers of Italy party, of which Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is a member. The lawmakers said that it was necessary to preserve Italy’s cultural roots and to protect Christians from being discriminated against.
“For some years there have been embarrassing and unacceptable decisions by some schools to ban nativity scenes, or to turn Christmas into an improbable winter festival to avoid giving offence to practitioners of other religions,” said Senator Lavinia Mennuni, who introduced the legislation.
Mennuni added that she didn’t want recognition of the Nativity to just become part of a generic holiday celebration, but to allow its celebration to remain distinct.
“Allowing the transformation of sacred Christian festivities into another anonymous type of celebration would constitute discrimination against the students and their respective families practicing the majority religion,” she said.
The Brothers of Italy said that the legislation “is absolutely essential to safeguard and protect [Italy’s] cultural roots, which are exemplified by the nativity scene.” Nativity scenes celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and frequently depict him lying in a manger surrounded by Mary and Joseph.
The bill would discipline teachers who ban Nativity displays, saying that those measures are “an attack on the deepest values and traditions of our people.”
The legislation criticizes the decision of some schools to make Christmas celebrations more generic, saying that, “a festival devoid of any historical and cultural commemorative context pertaining to our nation and which, lacking any ethical content, is destined to assume a purely hedonistic-consumeristic connotation.”
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Meloni, elected prime minister in 2022, frequently speaks openly about her Christian faith. “I am Giorgia, I am a woman, I am a mother, I am Italian, I am Christian. No one will take that away from me,” she said in 2019.
The legislation was criticized by Left-wing Italian parties and Italian teachers’ associations.
“Anything related to the culture of a country and its religion cannot be imposed by law,” said Antonello Giannelli, of the Italian association of head teachers.
“This is the same right wing, led by Giorgia Meloni, for whom today, the holy family fleeing from persecution would probably end up in a detention center,” said Riccardo Magi, head of the Left-wing Piu Europa party.