A Brief Introduction to the Religious Symbols Debate in Italy and the United States

In Western democracies the issue of religious symbols has recently become the testing ground of the difficult balance between the principles of State secularism and religious freedom. The question, then, is whether a State should adopt an attitude of strict neutrality towards demands for religious freedom, erecting that impenetrable wall of separation between the State and the Churches that is constitutionally required in the USA; or whether the emphasis should be on removing the burdens connected with the exercise of religious freedom, guaranteeing a reasonable accommodation, establishing its extent, and singling out the most suitable instruments.