Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, took part today in the conference organised by the Craxi Foundation at Palazzo Borromeo, seat of the Italian Embassy to the Holy See, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Agreement amending the Lateran Concordat, which sanctioned the adjustment of relations between the Italian State and the Catholic Church to the principles of the Italian Constitution.
“The Agreement still represents a milestone in relations between the Italian State and the Church, which are in constant cooperation in the protection of religious freedom and places of worship, both in Italy and around the world, and in the organisation and management of important events hosted in the Country, such as the Jubilee”, commented Minister Tajani. “This agreement also demonstrates that there can be peaceful coexistence between the different faiths within a secular State” added the Minister.
Today, the 1984 Concordat regulates bilateral relations between the Italian State and the Church and has paved the way for a series of agreements also with confessions other than the Catholic Church. The event was divided into three different study sessions – featuring presentations by distinguished academics and witnesses of the most significant historical events – focusing on: relations between the Italian State and the Church from the Unification of Italy to the 1929 Agreements; the 1948 Constitution and the many attempts to reform the Lateran Pacts; and the genesis, stipulation and effects of the 1984 Concordat.
In addition to Deputy Prime Minister Tajani, speakers at the event included Italian Ambassador to the Holy See Francesco Di Nitto; President of the Craxi Foundation Margherita Boniver; Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin; Italy’s Undersecretary of State Alfredo Mantovano; and the President of the Italian Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Senator Stefania Craxi.
