Italy

The majority of the Italian population is Christian, approximately 91%. About 88% of these Christians are Roman Catholic. Also there are about 2 million people that are Muslim. A minority in Italy are the Jews with about 30.000 people. Other religious minorities are atheists or Agnostics. 

 

 

Roman Catholicism is the largest religion in the country and every town or village has at least one Catholic Church.  It used to be the official state religion until 1985, when the government abolished mandatory religion lessons in school and reduced the state financial contributions to the church.  Even though it is the largest religion in Italy, only one-third of the Catholics are active members of the Catholic Church. 

 

The Roman Catholic Church is under the leadership of Pope Francis and the curia. The Vatican has a major influence on the Roman Catholics in Italy, it is the centre of Italian society and political power. 

 

 

Italy is a land of pilgrimage and the home to countless places of devotion and worship. Vatican City is a popular place for tourism because it is the spiritual home to billions of Catholics and has the most churches and sanctuaries in a city than any other country. The Sistine Chapel is a very popular chapel located in The Apostolic Palace. It is most known for its famous Michelangelo painting and the meeting of the cardinals to elect a new pope. The Basilica di San Pietro is an important church for the catholic people and it is located in Vatican City. It is the first of the seven pilgrimage churches in Rome.  

 

 

Religion and food are intertwined because of different dietary restrictions and rules for certain beliefs.  The Roman Catholic Church practices fasting, it is the restriction of meat on Fridays throughout Lent. It is also not allowed to eat solid food in between meals during this fasting period.   

 

 

The Islam believes that eating is important for body, mind and soul. It contributes to good health and spiritual awareness. The food restrictions in the Islam are eating pork and drinking alcohol. They also eat Halal food, which means that the animals are slaughtered according to Islamic laws. Fasting is an important part of the Islamic religion. The Muslims are fasting the whole month of Ramadan from sunset until sunrise; they believe it brings you closer to God and that it has a cleansing effect of evil.

 

 

In Judaism there are certain food restrictions that the Jews have to abide. It is not allowed to eat pork and shellfish. In Judaism it is prohibited to eat meat and dairy during the same meal. Also the food has to be Kosher, wich means the food has to be processed according to the laws of the Torah.

 

Jews have restricted fasting six days of the year. Restricted fasting means that they abstain from any food or drinks. 

 

References:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/it.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Italy#Religion

http://w2.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html

http://www.justlanded.com/english/Italy/Articles/Culture/Religion-in-Italy 7

http://www.italia.it/en/travel-ideas/religion-and-spirituality.html

http://www.diet.com/g/religion-and-dietary-practices