Bishops blessing schools, hospital wards, and sections of highways; institutional representatives attending Masses and religious events; rivers of money flowing from state coffers to flood those of dioceses and parishes: the year now drawing to a close, in obsequious continuity with previous years, has also been a flourish of “clericalism.”
This is the picture that emerges from “Clericalata della settimana”, the section of the website of the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR), which monitors the actions and statements of politicians and institutional representatives and reports on them on a weekly basis.
Despite the fierce competition, however, there is one region that has particularly stood out for the high rate of clericalism that characterized the actions of institutional representatives and public officials in 2024: Lazio. Next in line for clerical firepower is Sicily, followed by Campania in third place.
“We have chosen to call the tragicomic feats our institutions are capable of carrying out to pay homage to the Catholic Church ‘clericalisms,'” comments UAAR National Secretary Roberto Grendene, “a mix of ridiculous subservience, concessions of privileges, and massive public funding. In 2024, the Lazio region swept away the competition for clericalism: an unfair competition for the other regions, given the doping practiced by the city of Rome, which bears the name of Jubilee.”
“There have been numerous confessional initiatives throughout the year, often in concert with the City of Rome, the Lazio Region, the government, and the Vatican,” Grendene notes. “A bipartisan and transversal act of homage, enhanced by the Jubilee’s mood.” Such as the recent “Rome Embraces You” campaign, with one million euros allocated to publicize the Jubilee and make it more accessible, especially for residents. Or the agreement to sell the former Forlanini Hospital in Rome to the Holy See for the relocation of the Vatican’s Bambino Gesù Hospital, with renovations estimated at 600 million euros, paid for by INAIL (National Institute for Insurance against Accidents and Injuries), i.e., taxpayers, and effectively ceding territorial sovereignty over the area. There was also the agreement with numerous trade unions to block strikes between the opening and closing of the Holy Door and nine events organized by the Catholic Church for the Jubilee. There were also “traditional” clerical initiatives, such as the allocation of 200,000 euros by the Lazio Region to promote the creation of nativity scenes in schools and the final event celebrating the competition. Furthermore, the assembly of Rome’s VI Municipality approved, with 14 votes and no dissenters (the opposition abstained), the center-right resolution to impose crucifixes in classrooms.
“For its part, the second-placed Region of Sicily stands out for having allocated nearly €500,000 for the Feast of Santa Rosalia, which is celebrating its fourth centenary,” continues the Uaar secretary. But it is also noteworthy for the protocol signed by the regional councilor for Family and Social Policies, Nuccia Albano, and the president of the island’s Episcopal Conference, Monsignor Antonino Raspanti, for a permanent working group aimed at strengthening the role of oratories. “Clericalism is also making inroads into Sicilian schools: for example, the Galileo Galilei state scientific high school organized a meeting with Archbishop Corrado Lorefice at the school, with two students from each class coordinated by IRC teachers and the school board, and a subsequent meeting in the cathedral square,” Grendene notes.
Even the third-place finisher in this grotesque competition, the Campania Region, stood out for events such as the inauguration of the “School Wagon” project, created by the religious organization Scholas Occurrentes, at Porta Nolana Station. This project featured a plaque blessed by Pope Francis, presented in homage to Umberto De Gregorio, President of the Ente Autonomo Volturno. For his part, the mayor of Torre del Greco, Luigi Mennella, wrote to the Pope, asking the Vatican, in a letter delivered by the Archbishop of Naples, Domenico Battaglia, to proclaim Saint Vincenzo Romano, a native of the area, as co-patron of the city for the Jubilee, along with Saint Gennaro. This is not to mention the practically complete turnout of local institutions for the customary liquefaction of the blood of Saint Gennaro in Naples Cathedral. In Pompeii, for the fiftieth anniversary of the current archbishop’s ordination as a priest, several institutional representatives were present, including the Prefect of Naples, Michele di Bari, Mayor Carmine Lo Spaio, and the Mayor of Afragola, Antonio Pannone, along with Giuseppina Castiello, Undersecretary of State for Relations with Parliament. For the occasion, the Mayor of Pompeii presented the prelate, on behalf of the city, with a rosary made of gold, diamonds, and cherry coral.
In conclusion, Grendene also recalls the government’s persistent clericalism. “A special mention goes to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who confirmed her strong religious affiliation and, for example, went out of her way to invite Pope Francis to the session on artificial intelligence during the G7 meeting held in June.” “But also to ministers, such as the Minister of Education and Merit, Giuseppe Valditara, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani,” explains the UAAR secretary. “With the former, for example, having repeatedly supported the “public” role of private schools and even advocated for the funding of a “school voucher” for families who enroll their children in these institutions. And the latter, who, among other things, signed a memorandum of understanding with Monsignor Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of a section of the Dicastery for Evangelization, to host the Vatican in the Italian pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, confirming the international understanding between the Holy See and the Meloni government.”
All the 2024 “Clericalate” collected by UAAR are available here.
Press release