Public Schools, the Italian Crucifix, and the European Court of Human Rights: The Italian Separation of Church and State

The recent Lautsi case and the numerous decisions that were delivered both in Italy and by the European Court of Human Rights demonstrate the cultural and legal differences in conceiving religious liberty and separation between church and state. The article focuses on the Italian conception of both, from the drafting of the Italian Constitution to the most recent trends, and contrasts them with the European Court of Human Rights' approach, with particular reference to the case of the Crucifix in Public Schools.