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发帖数: 9485 | 1 http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormons-italy-rejoice-chu
More than 150 years since the first Italian Latter-day Saints were baptized,
and after decades-long efforts and negotiations, the Italian government has
granted The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) official
status as a church and “partner of the state.” As Maurizio Ventura,
president of the Pisa congregation, explained, “The intesa is a fulfillment
of a long-awaited blessing.” This legal status gives the Church greater
freedom to do more good, both as a church and as a social institution.
Italy President Giorgio Napolitano signed the Intesa con lo Stato, or legal
agreement, on 30 July, and the document will soon be published as law in the
Gazzetta Ufficiale, the official journal of record of the Italian
government. In contrast to the 1993 legislation that recognized the Church
as only a charitable institution, the Church is now officially recognized as
a religious denomination, along with the Catholic Church and a few others.
In fact, the agreement grants the highest status given to religions — which
, until recently, numbered only about half a dozen besides the Catholic
Church (including Jews, Baptists and Methodists). This status affords many
benefits. As John Zackrison, director of the International Coordinating
Committee for the Church, explained: “It will eliminate current barriers
that frequently interfere with our Church leaders performing marriages and
otherwise ministering, it will smooth the process for obtaining visas for
missionaries and mission presidents, and it will grant unquestioned freedom
for the Church to perform any functions or activities deemed essential to
its worldwide mission,” as well as grant Latter-day Saint clergy the
ability to visit members and those in need with automatic access to state
hospitals, prisons and military barracks.
Additionally, the Church’s new status and strengthened relationships with
government officials will enable the Church to work more effectively in
community relief efforts with the Catholic Church and other recognized
religious denominations.
“The secretary of the prime minister has already put me in touch with the
minister of social activities,” said Giuseppe Pasta, the Church’s former
national director of public affairs in Italy and current volunteer
coordinator with government and religious institutions. “Important Italian
entities are already reaching out to us from the left and from the right now
that we are considered an official religious denomination.” |
