A school first organized a devotional visit to the relic of Saint Agatha — her «sacred arm» — in a parish church, so that students could venerate it. Then, after receiving a formal notice from the Italian Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR), through its Catania chapter, it quickly reversed course and canceled that unlawful decision. Acts of worship during school hours are in fact prohibited, as made clear by regulations and court rulings, including the final decision of the Council of State dated March 27, 2017.

This time it happened in Zafferana Etnea, in the province of Catania. There, the administration of the “Federico De Roberto” Comprehensive School had issued a circular scheduling, for yesterday, June 4, 2026, first a visit at 9:00 a.m. by elementary school classes from one campus — bringing «a white tulip» — and then, at 11:30 a.m., a visit by middle school students, carrying a «white handkerchief».

Students would thus have had «the opportunity to approach and venerate the relic of the Patron Saint», accompanied by their teachers. The visit would not even have taken into account its macabre implications, since the object on display was said to be the arm from Saint Agatha’s corpse, brought by Archbishop Luigi Renna to a parish church in the town.

After learning of the matter, UAAR immediately sent a formal notice, acting to help affirm the supreme constitutional principle of state secularism — including the secular nature of public schools and institutions — and to obtain recognition of the full equality before the law of all citizens, regardless of their philosophical or religious convictions.

Within just a few hours, the school was forced to backtrack, revoking the circular on its own initiative. Among the reasons cited was «the duty of the educational institution to guarantee a fully inclusive learning environment, free from any discriminatory effect, whether direct or indirect».

When contacted by the daily newspaper La Sicilia, the principal defended himself by saying that «nothing was imposed on anyone» and that «students who, following their parents’ objection, did not wish to take part in the visit would have remained in class, attending lessons, in full respect of freedom». But that is where he is mistaken, because authorizing participation in religious rites during school hours is unlawful, even if those who do not wish to take part are not involved.

This is also because, in practice, and in disregard of privacy, such arrangements force students to reveal their religious affiliation. It is not enough to boast that the school is «one big family, an inclusive school that welcomes everyone and is rightly considered a school of excellence»: such principles must also be put into practice.

Indeed, inclusiveness cannot exist without secularism. It also means not allowing “volunteer” students to take part in religious rites when they should be in class, thereby effectively discriminating against the others.

Many schools pretend not to know that acts of worship during school hours are prohibited. To help citizens protect themselves, UAAR provides instructions and a formal notice template on its page “Masses, Prayers, Blessings, and Pastoral Visits in Public Schools”.

Press release

“While the Vatican is planning a new Holy Year for 2033,” says Roberto Grendene, secretary of the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics, “UAAR has chosen to fund a research grant at the University of Florence to analyse, in a scientific and impartial manner, the economic, environmental and political costs of the 2025 Jubilee and to understand whether, with due justification, one can speak of ‘holy damage’.”

The Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics, whose statute states its commitment to “acquiring knowledge through the scientific method and supporting freedom of research,” will present the first results of its analysis of the public costs of the 2025 Jubilee on Tuesday, 21 April 2026 at 6:00 p.m. at UAAR’s headquarters in Via Francesco Negri 67/69, Rome. In a bleak climate of deference marked by billions in public spending, the association has decided to fund a research grant at the University of Florence to study the urban-planning and legal impact of the Catholic Holy Year on Rome and on the Italian state. UAAR has monitored the costs of the Jubilee through the website Carogiubileo.it, which documents, up to July 2025, the allocation of €4.8 billion in public funds.

Speaking during the evening of 21 April — the date on which Rome’s Birthday is celebrated, the secular commemoration of the city’s foundation, traditionally set on 21 April 753 BCE — will be Marco Croce, professor of Law and Religion at the University of Florence; Giacomo Pirazzoli, professor of Architectural and Urban Design at the University of Florence; Francesca Tesi and Marco Gissara, holders of the research grant funded by UAAR; and Roberto Grendene, UAAR secretary.

Initial Analyses of the Jubilee

Tuesday, 21 April 2026 — 6:00 p.m.

Via Francesco Negri 67/69 — Rome

Drinks reception to follow

Press release

The Presidency of the Council of Ministers yesterday released data on the allocation of the 8×1000 share of personal income tax (IRPEF) directly managed by the State for the year 2024. The amount allocated to projects approved under the “natural disasters” category has exceeded €24.6 million, to be distributed to selected municipalities that submitted remediation and recovery projects. This marks a record, compared to €19.5 million in 2022 and €17.4 million in 2023.

This category, together with school building projects, is considered by UAAR among the most secular choices available to taxpayers who select “State” as the recipient of their 8×1000 share. The other four categories (preservation of cultural heritage, combating world hunger, assistance to refugees and unaccompanied foreign minors, and prevention and rehabilitation from drug addiction and other pathological dependencies) receive far fewer preferences and often see the Catholic Church or affiliated entities among the funded projects.

“It is urgent and necessary,” says Roberto Grendene, secretary of UAAR, “for the government to seriously promote the 8×1000 funds directly managed by the State in order to support our country, which is often affected by natural disasters, such as those that have recently impacted Sicily. This would make it possible to finance more land maintenance projects, precisely through the ‘natural disasters’ category.”

The new tax filing season for the year 2025 will open soon, and with appropriate government awareness campaigns, more taxpayer funds could finally be directed toward projects aimed at strengthening and securing urban areas, protecting land, reducing hydrogeological risk, and mitigating landslide hazards.

Press release

In 2026, Venice is the city contributing the most to Darwin Day, with no fewer than three events: one on February 5 titled “Evolution of Vision,” one on February 12 in Venice Mestre, “Dinner with Darwin,” and a final one on February 21 featuring the award ceremony of a literary competition dedicated to Charles Darwin. There are also events in other cities, including Pordenone and Modena on February 11, Milan on the 12th, Brescia on the 13th, Bologna on the 14th, Verona on the 15th, Ferrara on the 20th, and Rome on the 21st.

Program

For more information, please contact the organizing local group.

February 5 – Venice, Darwin Day 2026: “Evolution of Vision”
February 11 – Pordenone, “Evolution” (Darwin Day 2026 special)
February 11 – Modena, Darwin Day 2026: “Why We Age: The Evolutionary Meaning of Growing Old”
February 12 – Venice (Mestre), Darwin Day 2026: Dinner with Darwin
February 12 – Milan, Darwin Day 2026: “Evolution and Progress”
February 13 – Catania, Darwin Day 2026: “A Look at Science: a film, fewer ‘dogmas,’ more rational thinking”
February 13 – Brescia, Darwin Day 2026: “From the Stars to the Cell”
February 14 – Bologna, Darwin Day 2026: “And the Origin of Species Came to Be!”
February 15 – Verona, Darwin Day 2026: “From the Stars to the Cell”
February 20 – Ferrara, Darwin Day 2026: “Homo sapiens, a Migratory Species”
February 21 – Rome, Darwin Day 2026: “The Invisible Legacy: How Microorganisms Contributed to Human Evolution”
February 21 – Venice (Mestre), Darwin Day 2026 – Award Ceremony of the Literary Competition dedicated to Charles Darwin
February 26 – Venice (Mestre), Darwin Day 2026: “Biodiversity”

For events taking place worldwide, please refer to the international website.

Events organized in previous years from 2003 to today: uaar.it/darwinday

Press Release

Sooner or later, future governments will have to consider a serious reform of Catholic religious instruction in public schools. The number of students choosing not to attend IRC continues to grow steadily, at a rate of about 1% per year. In the 2024/25 school year as well, the share of students opting out of lessons taught by teachers appointed by the bishop rose by 1 percentage point: 17.7%, compared to 16.7% the previous year. That’s an increase of 42,000 students—an even more significant figure given the overall decline of 120,000 in the total student population. If this trend continues in the coming years, participation in this optional program promoted by the Italian Bishops’ Conference will keep shrinking.

The figures, which the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR) has requested for the fourth consecutive year, are official and come from the Ministry of Education and Merit and from the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano.

Unlike the Italian Bishops’ Conference, UAAR does not limit itself to reporting the national figure. The phenomenon has been analyzed in detail across different territorial levels, revealing a two-speed Italy: areas where students are increasingly turning away from Catholic religion class, and others where factors seem to discourage that choice.

In seven regions, more than one in four students opts out of IRC: Valle d’Aosta (34.46%), Emilia-Romagna (30.65%), Tuscany (30.60%), Liguria (30.10%), Lombardy (27.22%), Piedmont (27.02%), and Friuli Venezia Giulia (26.74%).

At the provincial level, six areas reach at least one in three: Florence (40.33%), Bologna (38.91%), Prato (36.65%), Trieste (36.31%), Aosta (34.46%), and Gorizia (34.27%). Compared to the previous year, the increase is widespread: 16 provinces recorded a rise of more than two percentage points, while only five saw a slight decrease.

Looking specifically at municipalities with more than 25,000 inhabitants, there are three cases of a “secular overtake”: Monfalcone (Gorizia, 57.48%), Pinerolo (Turin, 54.66%), and Florence (50.85%). Six other municipalities exceed 45%: Sesto Fiorentino (Florence, 49.56%), Lugo (Ravenna, 49.11%), Bologna (46.92%), Casalecchio di Reno (Bologna, 46.86%), Aosta (46.50%), and Scandicci (Florence, 45.29%). At the bottom of the ranking are the region of Basilicata (3.26%) and the province of Potenza (2.71%). Among municipalities with at least 25,000 inhabitants, there are five cases where fewer than 1% of students opt out: Castellammare di Stabia (Naples), Adrano (Catania), Casoria (Naples), Volla (Naples), and Gragnano (Naples).

“More and more families and students,” says Roberto Grendene, secretary of UAAR, “are choosing not to attend Catholic religion class, even though exercising this right is too often hindered by the lack of valid alternatives and by pressures from within the school system itself. For the Bishops’ Conference, this is supposed to be a free choice—but it is not at all: move IRC outside regular school hours, as is the case for all optional activities, and we’ll see what happens.”

Enrollment for the 2026/27 school year opened yesterday, with a deadline of February 14. “I urge parents,” Grendene concludes, “to make the best educational choice: say no to Catholic religious instruction. And if they encounter difficulties, UAAR will stand by them.”

Press release

Notes

UAAR supports the #datiBeneComune campaign. On the page https://uaar.it/dati-no-irc, all data on opting out of IRC are available, including graphical analyses (by region, province, and type of school), downloadable lists of schools by province in CSV format for further processing, and detailed profiles of each individual school with historical data from recent years.

In the association’s GitHub repository:
https://github.com/UnioneAteiAgnosticiRazionalisti/dati-no-irc
all original files received from the Ministry and from the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano are available.

In compiling national and provincial statistics, data from 357 out of 40,346 schools were prudently excluded as unreliable due to out-of-range opt-out percentages (likely caused by input errors). Had the original data been included, the opt-out percentages would have been slightly higher.

According to the new University of Bologna regulations, full exemption from student contributions for permanent members of religious orders “is granted in analogy with what Ergo [the regional agency for the right to higher education] provides for scholarships, regardless of the submission of an ISEE [the Italian Equivalent Economic Situation Indicator].” The university argues that a student’s ISEE cannot accurately reflect their economic condition and therefore allows exemptions to be granted “on the basis of appropriate documentation proving that the applicant is fully supported by the religious order for their living expenses.” At the University of Bologna, the ISEE threshold for full tuition exemption (the “no-tax area”) has been raised to €27,000.

The University of Bologna’s special attention to the Church does not stop at exemptions for members of religious orders. In the 2022/23 academic year, the Theological Faculty of Emilia-Romagna launched a joint master’s degree program in Religions, Histories, and Cultures. The program, strongly supported by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, was later discontinued due to low enrollment—apparently without even informing the cardinal.

But why shouldn’t religious orders also pay university tuition for those they already support with room and board, just as families do while tightening their belts? In Bologna, religious institutions appear to hold extensive property and significant financial resources, with a notable impact on the real estate market through ownership of shops, cinemas, offices, and hundreds of apartments. The criterion under which students belonging to religious institutions are exempt from paying tuition therefore does not seem justified.

“It almost seems”, says Roberto Grendene, secretary of the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics, “as if the University of Bologna considers them destitute individuals abandoned with no one to support them (whereas they likely have both a family and a religious order). In reality, these are privileged students who, being supported by their order, could easily pay tuition. And if they lack financial means, they could still find a job.”

“These are individuals selected for their obedience to leaders of non-democratic and male-dominated structures—namely influential religious orders with substantial financial resources”, comments Adele Orioli, head of UAAR’s legal initiatives. “Not exactly a good reason for a public university to grant them benefits.”

In total, 11 exemptions have been granted from the 2021/2022 to the 2024/2025 academic years, for a total value of about €22,000 in lost revenue for the University of Bologna. After the bishop’s recommendation to be hired by the state as Catholic religion teachers, now comes the prior’s recommendation to avoid paying university tuition.

Press release

An illegitimate act, given that the ruling of March 27, 2017, by the Council of State establishes that acts of worship are prohibited during school hours and, if organized outside of them, student participation must be voluntary. What shocked the principal and the mayor Marco Franzoni, who was present at the ceremony, was instead the behavior of four students who covered their ears and who now risk facing disciplinary measures. According to the headteacher, they showed disrespect toward the Catholic religion.

“We have written to principal De Mitri,” said Roberto Grendene, secretary of UAAR, “to remind her that the school is secular and that it is unlawful to include acts of worship during lesson time. We hope she will promptly withdraw the accusation of ‘unacceptable behavior’ and the threat of disciplinary action against students who simply tried not to listen to prayers and blessings. On closer inspection, if anyone deserves sanctions, attention should be directed to the top of the institution.”

The clearly unlawful conduct by the principal in Cerea is not an isolated case. Considering also the very frequent violations of the right to alternative activities to Catholic religious instruction, one could speak of serious shortcomings across the entire category or, perhaps more gravely, of a tendency to give in to poor practices and pressures coming also from politics. Returning to Cerea, the mayor Marco Franzoni has in fact denounced offenses against “our Catholic faith” and expressed hope that the measures announced by the principal will serve as an example.

“The mayor”, emphasized Cristina Righetti, coordinator of the UAAR Verona group, “forgets that the state religion was abolished in 1984 and that, in his institutional role, he should represent all citizens, including the growing number of non-believers and followers of religions other than Catholicism. The call for exemplary punishments to be imposed on students who merely expressed dissent in a civil and non-violent way against identity-based impositions that cannot and must not have a place in public schools is indefensible.”

Press release

Giubilaic will take place in Florence on September 20 and 21, 2025, and the date is no coincidence. UAAR also intends to celebrate the Twentieth of September in a country that seems to have forgotten its secular roots. In Italy, freely deciding about one’s own body, education, parenthood, or end-of-life choices is still an obstacle course. This festival aims to be an open, in-depth, and necessary moment of discussion, fostering active citizenship and awareness of both one’s own rights and those of others.

The event will be held at Impact Hub Firenze Rifredi and features a two-day program of meetings, debates, testimonies, and contributions from experts, activists, and professionals. Topics will include the hidden costs—economic, environmental, and political—of the Jubilee, “conversion therapies” for sexual orientation, the right to choose how and when to die, conscientious objection in public healthcare, and the difficult access to reproductive rights in Italy.

There will also be space for educational issues, from the presence of Catholic religion in public schools to the lack of comprehensive sex and emotional education, as well as the marginalization of secular alternatives. Among the most powerful moments of the festival will be the testimony of Mubarak Bala, Nigerian human rights activist and president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, who was sentenced to 40 years in prison for publicly criticizing religion.

To close the first day of Giubilaico, at 7:45 p.m. on September 20, the Lautsi Award—now in its second edition—will be presented by Massimo Albertin and Roberto Grendene. The award is dedicated to the memory of Soile Lautsi, a key figure in the courageous legal battle for the secular nature of schools against the imposition of the crucifix, who passed away in 2023. This year, the Lautsi Award will be given to gynecologist Elisabetta Canitano.

“The Lautsi Award,” explains Roberto Grendene, secretary of UAAR, “is intended as a public expression of gratitude and esteem by UAAR for individuals who stand out for their secular merits. This year, the award is fully deserved by gynecologist Elisabetta Canitano for her commitment to defending and promoting sexual and reproductive self-determination, and for her courageous opposition to religious interference in healthcare structures and procedures in our country.”

Giubilaic also stands out for its participatory spirit: it is free, accessible, and made possible thanks to the support of those who believe in a more secular, fairer, and freer Italy. Reservations to attend the events are already open on Eventbrite.

For those who wish to support the initiative, it is possible to contribute through the crowdfunding campaign active on Eppela: the funds raised will help cover logistics, communication, video documentation, and hospitality costs for guests. Contributors will receive no indulgences, but rather books, UAAR gadgets, experiences, and—above all—the satisfaction of having taken part in a valuable and necessary event.

Press release

Impact Hub – Via Panciatichi 16, Florence

Free admission

Program and reservations at firenze.uaar.it

At the onset of the new academic year, with children returning back to school, the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnistics (UAAR) has once again checked the variety of textbooks available for use during the alternative activity program. In doing so, the UAAR has analysed the data available in the “Textbook Adoptions” section of the national School Data Portal for all Italian public primary schools.

For the third consecutive year, we have witnessed a sharp increase in the number of classes where pupils—whose parents chose “educational and training activities” instead of Catholic religious education—will receive a free textbook to aid in the coverage of the material for the two weekly hours of secular subject matter. Currently, the court has reached 16,313 classes, with a 33% increase compared to the previous academic year, and a 153% increase when compared to the 2023/2024 academic year. Overall, although this represents solely 13.05% of all classes, the fact that the figure was 9.54% last year, and 5.63% two years ago, is worthy of mention.

UAAR also conducted a territorial distribution analysis of the phenomenon. From which, the following results emerged: the most secular province is Asti (where 49.9% of public primary school classes adopted the alternative textbook), followed by Genoa (49.89%), Teramo (47.06%), Livorno (46.95%), and Ravenna (37.22%). When considering the percentage of schools, as opposed to the classes, the analysis showed that the figures exceed 50% in the same provinces (Livorno 58.82%, Genoa 55.9%, Ravenna 54.67%, Asti 51.90%, Teramo 50.53%). The aforementioned analysis also showed that at the bottom of the list, with a bleak 0%, are the provinces of Avellino, Barletta-Andria-Trani, Caltanissetta, Enna, Grossetto, La Spezia, Matera, Pescara, Siracusa, and Vibo Valentia.

«There is an apparent growing desire for secularism among families» stated Roberto Grendene, UAAR’s National Secretary, «and an increasing secular sensitivity among teachers, who are approving the adoption of textbooks for alternative activities in greater numbers. This is a tool that not only guarantees equal educational dignity for children entitled to alternative activities, but can also prove to be essential for teachers who are often assigned to classes at the last minute as this would enable them in organizing meaningful and engaging classes.»

Based on the aforementioned data, UAAR compiled a list of schools that this academic year, for the first time, have classes where a textbook for alternative activities was adopted. On Monday, September 8th, UAAR wrote to the Principals of these schools to congratulate them on their progress and to offer, as part of its campaign “Books for Those Entitled to Them,” a donation of volumes—either Alternativamente (Raffaello Editore) or Intorno a noi (Giunti Editore)—to cover any remaining classes devoid of textbooks, clearly at no cost to the schools of families.

• Percentages of public primary schools adopting alternative textbooks: map divided by province 2025/26
• Raw data utilized
• Letter to school Principals

Press Releas

The film prized by the UAAR covers, from both an institutional and a political perspective, the ever-present and dramatically pressing issue of the legalization of euthanasia, which in the Italian context, is marked by an obstruction attributable to religious interference. Within the film, Sorrentino portrays the complexity of euthanasia via the eyes of the film’s protagonist: a President of the Republic nearing the end of his term and hesitating on whether to sign a law which would guarantee citizens the right to a dignified death, whilst, at the same time yet with equal anguish, weighing two requests for pardon.

La Grazia wins the 2025 Brian Award not solely for its symbolic power, but also and not less importantly for the emotional depth and civic clarity with which it brings back within the public debate a theme of extraordinary social and ethical importance.

The jury also decided to grant three special mentions to the following feature films:

• Bearcave by Stergios Dinopoulos and Krysianna Papadakis
• 100 Nights of Hero by Julia Jackman
• À bras-le-corps by Marie-Elsa Sgualdo

The video of the award ceremony

The jury: Paolo Ferrarini (President), Emanuele Albera, Glauco Almonte, Enrica Berselli, Francesco Crifò, Maria Teresa Crisigiovanni, Marina Fornasari, Micaela Grosso, Giuseppe Indelicato, Carmelo Lucchesi, Irene Tartaglia.

The Award

The “Brian Award,” named after the satirical film titled Monty Python’s Life of Brian, is presented «to the film that best promotes a secular vision of the world and that, faithful to the UAAR’s vision and social purposes, is capable of highlighting the values that are associated with secularism—such as rationality and scientific thought, democracy, pluralism, self-determination, freedom of conscience, expression and research, the principle of equal opportunity in public institutions for all citizens devoid of discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or philosophical and religious beliefs—as well as values that find themselves in diametrical opposition to theocracies and confessional-based fundamentalisms.»

Press release