Pacini Publishing House has released the edited book of the Acts of the Convention "Law and Freedom of Belief in Europe, an arduous journey", organised by FOB in Florence on 18-19 January 2018.
The Acts (608 pages, hardcover) consist of 27 contributions from different perspectives ranging from philosophy to law, from sociology to religious studies. Communications from the round-tables give also the picture of the work and experience of several advocates and experts actively operating in the field of freedom of religion and belief in different countries.
Contributions from politicians and government officers working first-hand with minorities are available in the publication too.
The Acts are the final result of the very successful Convention on Law Freedom of Belief in Europe, organised by FOB under the auspices of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Mr Thorbiørn Jagland, and that had also received the patronage of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the accreditation from the University of Florence and from the Tuscany Region that also granted the use of the majestic venue of the Auditorium Sant'Apollonia in Central Florence.
The book is a fully bilingual edition and all the contributions and communications are availaible in English and Italian languages.
We thank all the speakers and authors that contributed with their work to the success of the Convention and to the Acts, and to the generous sponsors for supporting the initiative.
We express our sincere gratitude to the President of the Republic of Italy Prof. Sergio Mattarella who, showing his personal support to the Florence Convention, gave us the honour of awarding the Presidential Medal to the event.
Our hope and wish is that the Acts be a valuable inspiring source for students, academicians and researchers, and activists and anyone with an interest in the field of freedom of religion and belief looking for practical information and insight.
The book can be ordered via the following link and is also available in bookstores: http://www.pacinieditore.it/diritto-liberta-di-credo-europa-law-freedom…
Excerpt from the Introduction, page 9:
On 18th and 19th January 2018, the colonnaded hall of the Sant’Apollonia Auditorium in Florence was the prestigious setting for the International Scientific Convention Law and Freedom of Belief in Europe, an arduous journey, organised by the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB ) EU Transparency Register ID number 015146319708-20. The convention was organised in collaboration with: CAP (European Coordination for Freedom of Conscience); SOTERIA International (Spiritual Human Rights) and EIFRF (European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom).
Of pivotal importance, given its scope, was the “Call to the European Nations from the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB) to promote and implement the right to freedom, thought, conscience and religion in Europe” (infra).
We are pleased to present here the details of the various speeches given, along with communications from the Round Table that rounded off the agenda, which we shall introduce with a brief overview of the Convention itself.
Pietro Nocita
Lawyer, taught Criminal Procedure at La Sapienza University in Rome
The Legal Status of Religious Denominations Other Than the Roman Catholic
Fabrizio D’Agostini
Lawyer in Turin
Europe, Europe, Europe
Roberto Celada Ballanti
Universiy of Genoa
At The Origins of Freedom of Belief: Categorization of Religion and Secularization in the Modern Thought
Marco Vannini
Philosopher, Florence
What does it mean “To Believe”?
Marco Ventura
Universy of Siena
Getting more ambitious on freedom of religion or belief. Three opportunities for European institutions
Luigi Berzano
University of Turin
Islam and European Enlightenment
Massimo Introvigne
Sociologist of Religions, Turin
Religious Freedom Problems in Russia and Hungary: A Case Study of the Church of Scientology
Enzo Pace
University of Padua
The New Geography of Religious Minorities in Italy. Reasonable Discriminations and Threats to Freedom of Belief
Aldo Natale Terrin
University of Padua
The Religious Freedom according to a Religious Minority
Susan J. Palmer
University of Concordia, Montreal
The “Protective” State and application of France’s About-Picard law
Patricia Duval
Lawyer in Paris, France
State neutrality and anti-sect movements, the France case
Willy Fautré
Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers Int., Austria
Anti-sect Movements and Laïcité: the French-Russian Orthodox Connection
Thierry Valle
Director of NGO CAP Liberté de Conscience, France
FECRIS, an NGO financed by the French government
Germana Carobene
University of Naple
Religious Affiliation and Legal Reaction in a democratic, pluralist and tolerant society
Nicola Colaianni
University of Bari, former Magistrate of the Supreme Court of Cassation
Freedom of Belief in Europe to the test of immigration and terrorism
Alessandro Amicarelli
Lawyer in London, Human Rights specialist
The International Protection of Freedom of Belief: Recent Developments
Silvio Calzolari
High Institute of Religious Studies, Florence
Religious Freedom between Multiculturalism and Globalization: Some Reflections on the Shared Values
Paolo Naso
University La Sapienza, Rome
Aiming at teaching about religious pluralism as a form of social heritage
Nelly Ippolito Macrina
Deputy Prefect, former director of the Division for the Affairs of Religious Groups other than the Roman Catholic of the Ministry of the Interior
The role of the Ministry of Interior dealing with the affairs of religious groups
Camelia Marin
Project coordinator SOTERIA International, Denmark
Discrimination changes our society
Eric Roux
Director of EIFRF, France
From an activist viewpoint
Mohamed Bamoshmoosh
Islamic Community of Florence and Tuscany
“Social determinants” on young people from ethinc and religious minorities
Fabio Fanfani
Consul - Vice Dean of the Consular Body of Florence
The consul: the religious dimension
Stefano Grossi
Teacher of ethics and anthropology at the Theological Faculty of Central Italy
The concerns needed to promote religious freedom in liberal societies J. Rawls and “Overlapping Consensus”
Martin Weightman
Director of All Faiths Network, England
Dialogue and Communications as a tool in protecting freedom of religion or belief
Andrea Bottai
Soka Gakkai National Councillor
Creating One’s Own Freedom
Rosita Šorytė
President ORLIR, International Observatory of Religious Liberty of Refugees
Religious Liberty Issues Refugees and the Case of The Church of Almighty God
Christopher Zielinski
Former Head Office of the Congregation for Divine Worship
“Winsdom is a spirit, a friend to mankind” (Wis, 1,6)
An attempt to construct a grammar or inter-religious dialog
All convention documents and videoed speeches given can be seen and downloaded at this link: https://freedomofbelief.net/2018-florence
European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB)
