SICILY
Religion

Popular destinations ITALY

Campania	Lombardy	Sardinia
Sicily	Tuscany	Umbria
	Veneto

Religion

Sicily is predominantly Catholic and the clergy on the island is one of the most conservative in Italy. The church also still has a great influence on social life through education, traditions and land ownership, among other things. Especially the Holy Week around Easter still plays an important role in the rural villages with processions, performances and special church services.

Almost everywhere, Assumption Day is still celebrated with chariots pulled by believers.

The way of experiencing religion is truly Spanish, full of traditions, symbolism and taboos. The six centuries of Spanish rule are still clearly noticeable here.

Italy General

Duomo of Milan, seen from the Piazza del Duomo_{Photo: Jiuguang Wang CC 3.0 Unported no changes made}

More than 85% of the population officially belongs to the Roman Catholic Church. Until 1984 Roman Catholicism was the state religion, enshrined in the 1929 Lateran treaties. The treaty was concluded between the Italian leader Benito Mussolini and Pope Pius XI. This also meant that the Roman Catholic Church was given privileges over other religions in many areas.

On February 12, 1984, the Italian government and the Vatican signed a concordat abandoning the principles of the Lateran Treaty and ending the privileges of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Roman Catholic Church is divided into about 300 areas, namely special resorts such as free prelatures, abbeys under an abbot or abbas nullius, archdioceses and dioceses, some of which fall directly under the Holy See.

There are also about 500,000 Protestants and Orthodox and about 35,000 Jews. The main Protestant church is the Waldensian Church (Italian: Chiesa Valdese), which was only recognized by law since 1947. Other Protestant churches include Lutherans of the German-speaking communities of the Northeast, Methodists, and Baptists. Together they form the Bond of Protestant Churches.

Waldensian church in Piazza Cavour, in the Borgo district of Rome_{Photo: Scalleja CC 2.0 Generic no changes made}

The Union of Italian Jewish Municipalities comprises 22 Jewish municipalities. There is also a small Muslim community in the south of Italy and in the big cities in the north. Most Muslims (about 300,000) are originally from North Africa.

Masjid of Rome is the biggest mosque in the Western world_{Photo: Tykeoutdoljoklp CC 4.0 International no changes made}

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Sources

Scholten, J. / Sicilië: met de Egadische en Eolische eilanden
Van Reemst

Bausenhardt, H. / Sicilië
Van Reemst

Haan-van de Wiel, W.H. de / Sicilië
Gottmer

CIA - World Factbook

BBC - Country Profiles

Last updated April 2024
Copyright: Team The World of Info