Posts Categorized: Press release

An increasing number of classes are adopting a textbook for in-school alternative activities to religion classes. Asti, Genoa, and Teramo are considered the most secular provinces. 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… Read more »

The Brian Award’s jury has conferred the prize to Paolo Sorrenino’s film, La Grazia, screened at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. This present edition marks the 20th edition of the Brian Award, promoted by the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR). 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… Read more »

Two Days to Discuss Secularism in Florence, September 20-21, 2025 UAAR Florence and UAAR Lucca, with the patronage of the Municipality of Florence, have organized Giubilaic, an initiative created in order to grant back voice and space to crucial, yet seldom discussed, issues from a secular standpoint, namely: freedom of choice, civil rights, self-determination, public education, and the secular nature of institutions. Giubilaic will take place in Florence on September 20-21, 2025. Here, the date is no coincidence. UAAR wishes… Read more »

The 2024/25 edition of the campaign “Books for Those Who Have a Right to Them” has officially begun. State primary schools that apply can receive textbooks to distribute to children participating in the Alternative Activity program. After a year, the UAAR (Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics) is once again donating textbooks in order to support the Alternative Activity program. Such a program serves to provide an alternative to Catholic religious instruction in Italian state primary schools. While the imposition… Read more »

Given the Government’s culpable and “religious” silence, the UAAR (Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics) has made all information about school building projects which are funded by the 8×1000 state allocation easily accessible. An interesting fact emerges from analyzing the allocation rankings for 8×1000 state funds earmarked for “School Building” projects: over €20 million will ultimately be allocated to the renovation of public schools. A total of 57 school buildings will benefit from such a funding which will be directed… Read more »

The conceptual artist and Florentine architect Guido Mitidieri is the winner of the inaugural UAART Prize with his diptych Agony of Identity (2020). The winning artwork was selected by a professional jury of over 280 entries and seven finalists. Promoted by the social promotion association UAAR (Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics), the aforementioned competition—which was open to all forms of visual art—aims to construct a secular imagery which surrounds themes of death and grief. Mitidieri’s work was deemed as… Read more »

Citizens within the Emilia-Romagna region wish for institutions to promote the “State / Natural Disasters” option within the 8×1000 tax allocation. Therefore, such citizens are calling on whoever will govern the region to actively coordinate and support the municipalities that are affected by the floods in accessing the 8×1000 funds. Solely six days before the regional elections, these are the results from a BiDiMedia survey which was commissioned by the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR). The sample on… Read more »

The number of secular funerals is on the rise, and so is the number of Italians who would like to have a ceremony devoid of religious rites, which would be held in dignified venues distributed throughout the country. Everyone should have the right to a secular funeral, which should take place in a suitable and comfortable environment. To raise awareness regarding the issue, the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (Uaar) established the UAART Prize. Such a prize is open… Read more »