Italian Court Bars School Favoritism For Courses In Catholicism

In Italy, an Administrative Tribunal in the district of Lazio (which includes Rome) has ruled that schools may no longer give credit for students who study Catholicism during public school "religion hours,"since schools deny academic credit to students who study other religions. JTA reported yesterday that the ruling came in a lawsuit filed by 24 secular and non-Catholic religious groups. Church leaders and some politicians have sharply criticized the court's ruling. [Thanks to Joel Katz (Relig. & State in Israel) for the lead.]