Pending amendments to a religious freedom bill being considered by Italy's parliament could impinge on religious freedom, say Seventh-day Adventists and other evangelical Christians.

The bill, which is being considered by the parliament's Commission on Constitutional Affairs, would eliminate the words "recognized by everyone" when discussing religious freedom. By modifying language that was previously uniform and unambiguous within legislation, minority
religious groups worry that the government is taking a diminished view of religious pluralism.

Adventist church leaders say that such a lessening of respect could lead to police interference in lawful religious activities that are carried out by churches and faith communities that are not among the "traditional" faiths of the nation. Such a move might even contravene the European Declaration of Human Rights, which Italy, as a member of the European Union, is bound to support.

Another worrying provision concerns printing and distribution of books and flyers inside of, or at the entrance to, churches. Under the proposed provisions, the state could censor what the proposed legislation calls "political propaganda consisting in incitement to hate and discrimination among religious denominations." During the fascist period in Italy, police regularly visited minority churches and noted "anti-state" or "defeatist" statements, and the memory of such intrusion lingers today.

For these and other reasons, Adventist church leaders say that such amendments damage the very nature of the bill introduced by the government and that the alterations are of a regressive nature. Dora Bognandi and Tiziano Rimoldi, representatives from the religious liberty department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, have asked for reconsideration of these provisions and a return to the original text of the bill.

On May 30, Gianni Long, president of the Evangelical Churches Commission for Church-State Relations, sent a letter to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi expressing concern about the draft of the religious liberty bill that would go before the Parliament's Chamber of Deputies for discussion and approval. Long asked the prime minister to reinstate and to foster the original draft, which was substantially different from the actual one, and get it approved by the two parliament branches (the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate). The letter was also published in the main Protestant weekly magazine, "Riforma."

Other non-Christian denominations and free-thinker associations agree with the concern expressed by Protestant churches. Franca Eckert Coen, advisor of the Major of Rome for Multiethnic Affairs and coordinator of the Municipal Consultation Board of Religions in Rome, pointed out the preoccupation of the board concerning the project of a new religious liberty bill, and noted that the Italian Constitution requires agreements with religious bodies as the way for regulating church-state relations. (Editor: ANN Staff)