(/Italy) European Court of Human Rights Violates Freedom of Religion
Professor Luigi Lombardi Vallauri's teaching contract was not prolonged by the Catholic University of Milano after he taught things like the gospel was the “most frightening message ever made known to mankind” and that “Jesus was through and through a bad human being”. On October 20th, the Court ruled that this was a violation of his freedom of opinion.
Professor Luigi Lombardi Vallauri taught philosophy of law at a University. His contract was not prolonged after he had left the faith and had taught about Christianity that it holds „unmerciful dogmas“, a „hostility against women“, and the „fiction of original sin“ as well as “an obsession of Jesus with hell” so that the gospel was the “most frightening message ever made known to mankind” and that “Jesus was through and through a bad human being”. While everyone is free to think what they chose, it should not be surprising that the Catholic University of Milano (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore) did not prolong his teaching mandate. According to the Italian concordate, professors at Catholi c University are appointed by the state and the Holy See must agree to the appointment. As the Holy See did not agree to the prolongation of Prof. Lombardi’s contract, he went to court. When the case came to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) it ruled on October 20th of 2009 that Italy had violated freedom of opinion and the right to a fair trail (Art 10 and Art 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights). This ruling constitutes a discrimination against Christians as it is a violation of the institutional freedom of religion of the Catholic Church. It displays totalitarian tendencies which European Institutions should be far from. For an in-depth-analysis of the case in German, please read: http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1026&context=jakob_cornides