A primary school in Agna, Padua, decided to change its Christmas play by removing Christian references, including the name of Jesus, replaced by Cùcù, and the nativity scene. Teachers said they made the decision to avoid discontent among families of different faiths, but it offended Catholic parents. The play was changed without the parents' knowledge. Some families decided not to send their children to class in protest.
The situation that has angered Christians allover Italy has taken place at the Edmundo De Amicis primary school in Agna, 35 kilometers away from Padua.
"At first I couldn't believe it," said the father of one of the pupils quoted by Il Gazzetino, "But then when my wife showed me the sheets with the phrases they were initially supposed to sing, cut to certain words... It's not possible that it should have reached these levels, among other things without us parents being informed of the teachers' ideas".