Insegnamento della religione nella scuola pubblica e Chiesa di Stato: due "case studies" davanti all'OSCE.

This work discusses the state of religious education in Sweden and the Canton of Bern, where the State Church has or has had an important role. It is suggested that in these two “case studies”, religious education in the public and compulsory school systems does not seem to be influenced by the State Church, which still exists in the Canton of Bern and which existed in Sweden until 2000. Instead, religious education in these countries reflects their pluralistic and multireligious societies: the subject is taught mostly in line with the Toledo Principles of OSCE, a document created by an inter-disciplinary team including experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief to guide the development of the curricula in the European school systems. The question therefore arises whether the Italian religious education system should similarly teach religious pluralism in its schools. This might be somewhat challenging considering the relationship the Catholic Church has, based on the Concordat, with the State. Finally the thesis try to argue that the old patterns of the paradigm about a country with a State Church should be reviewed.