Christianity in Italy
The Marche and Umbria, like Italy, have evolved in the footsteps of the Catholic religion. In the country, 97% of the population is baptized, but only 10% goes to mass regularly: Italian youth is no different from that of France, and people don't really think of consulting a priest for advice on sexuality anymore. If we go back in time, we understand that Italy has always been linked to religion. From the very beginning, Rome mixed religious practices with every event in public life. The ancient Romans would have distinguished very early on a "sacred time" (reserved for the gods, for festivals) from a "profane" time (devoted to the work of the land, to war): a "magical" calendar was thus created, alternating action and inaction, profane time and sacred time. It was probably the Etruscans who codified the rituals organized in time, to pay the gods the honors corresponding to the seasonal activities. Christianity appeared in Rome about ten years after the crucifixion of Christ. The first Christians were persecuted by the Romans, but Christianity eventually became the official religion of the Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages, the Pope, the spiritual leader of all Catholics, ruled over an influential state and Rome became the centre of the Christian world.
The Vatican, a city-state
In 1929, the Lateran Accords recognized Vatican City as an independent and sovereign state within Rome. So today it is a city-state of 1,000 inhabitants, the seat of the papacy and the Catholic world, with Pope Francis as its leader, elected in March 2013 following the resignation of Benedict XVI. He is the 266th pope! This Argentinean Jesuit pope is distinguished by his open-mindedness and non-conformism, he is also the first pope from the American continent.
Religion today
The political influence of the Church has been diminishing since the 1960s. Today, Catholicism is no longer a state religion and the Italian constitution guarantees freedom of religion. But the traces of this Christian world can be seen in its many churches and the birth of saints. In the Marches, in particular, the Basilica della Santa Casa on the hill of Loreto is famous. Inside, the Santa casa di Loreto (Holy House of Loreto) welcomes thousands of pilgrims who come to honour a cedar statue of the Virgin Mary crowned with pearls. It is believed that the Holy House of Loreto, the house in which the Child Jesus grew up, was miraculously transported here by angels from Nazareth. In Umbria, various itineraries return to the places of the saints. Monasteries, crypts, sanctuaries and parish churches can be visited along these paths through the countryside. In addition to St. Francis of Assisi, the region of Umbria was the birthplace of St. Benedict, founder of the Benedictine order, in Nurcia in 480. Saint Valentine was bishop of Terni from 197, when Pope Felician was invested. He defended Christian marriage and was condemned to death around the year 273 for having replaced the pagan sacrament with the Christian marriage ceremony. He is buried in the Basilica di San Valetino in Terni where many lovers go in February, especially for Saint Valentine's Day. As in France, the three major religious holidays are Easter, August 15(ferragosto) and Christmas. While more and more Italians are adopting northern European customs for Christmas celebrations, such as the Christmas tree and the exchange of gifts, there are still two strong traditions in Italy: the construction of elaborate nativity scenes(presepi) and the Befana. On January 6, the day of the Epiphany, the Befana (a witch) travels the sky on a broomstick in search of the Christ Child. She stops at every house and leaves gifts, toys and sweets for the good children and a piece of coal for the others.
