Davide Dimodugno

In recent decades, the Catholic Church has changed its position on the cremation of the faithful departed, moving from a decidedly anticremation stance to a more open-minded one. For various reasons, including the lack of space in cemeteries and the significantly lower costs compared to burial, the use of cremation has increased exponentially. Thus, the hostile connotation of this practice with respect to the Church’s doctrine on the resurrection of bodies has been lost. Therefore, in some countries, such as Germany, the conversion of redundant churches into columbaria, i.e. places where the ashes of the faithful can be kept, has become widespread, while maintaining the sacred character of the place. This contribution, starting from the creation of a special commission on the matter by the Archdiocese of Bologna, which resulted in the two questions answered by the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on 9 December 2023, intends to present the problematic profiles of this solution in the Italian context, in the light of the complexity and plurality of regional regulations about mortuary police.

Places of worship have always played a crucial role in defining the landscape and character of our cities and villages. Each building has its own story to tell and represents the effort of a whole community in the creation of a common identity. For this reason, as well as for their historical and artistic value, these goods are frequently protected by the legislation of the States as a part of their national cultural heritage. Nevertheless, the problem of their re-signification arises when their religious purpose ceases, as it is happening everywhere in Europe because of secularisation, demographic decline and migrations. Focusing on the Catholic Church’s assets because of their significative presence in Western Europe, this paper aims to provide a vision on the future of these goods, underlining their value as “common goods” for local communities. In fact, the population recognises these assets as having both a use value and a cultural heritage value, which must be considered when identifying the new profane uses. These are goods that evoke a dual belonging, i.e. not only to the ecclesial community, but also to the wider civil community that has the right to be able to express its opinions on the reuse of buildings no longer used for worship. The comparative study of the legal framework and experiences from Belgium, France and Italy, in search of best practices and replicable management solutions, shows that, in spite of their different legislations, a new awareness is emerging with respect to this heritage, which should not be destined to neglect and abandonment but properly valorised. Through participatory processes, it seems possible to identify the needs emerging within communities, so that political and ecclesiastical decision-makers will be able to adopt solutions that can generate a positive impact in terms of social, cultural and economic development. In this way, these assets will be restored to the spatial and cultural centrality they have always had in the neighbourhoods of our cities and in rural villages.

English translation of the abstract and the introduction of the book: Davide Dimodugno, "Gli edifici di culto come beni culturali in Italia. Nuovi scenari per la gestione e il riuso delle chiese cattoliche tra diritto canonico e diritto statale", University of Turin, Turin, 2023, 414 pp. This volume deals with the issues of the management and reuse of places of worship and, specifically, of Catholic churches as cultural assets of religious interest in Italy. Having reconstructed the complex discipline for the “reduction to non-indecorous secular use” pursuant to Canon 1222 § 2 – and the “dismissal” – transfer of ownership – of churches, the exposition continues with the examination of concrete cases of reuse, which occurred in the Archdiocese of Turin between 1978 and 2019. Once disused buildings of worship have been classified as “common goods”, the new models of governance, inclusive and sustainable, able to transform these overabundant properties into a resource for the social, economic, and cultural development of the territorial communities of reference, are identified in the collaboration pacts, in the participation foundation and in the trust.

The redundancy of places of worship is emerging in Western Europe as a crucial challenge in the field of law and religion in the coming decades. With 600,000 places of worship scattered throughout Europe, it is easy to understand the impact on different religious and civil communities.
Examining three traditionally Catholic countries, namely Belgium, France and Italy, the issue presents itself as a common problem, albeit in various stages of seriousness and addressed in different ways. Because of secularisation, of the reduction in the number of priests and the demographic crisis, buildings intended for Catholic worship are less and less used.
The comparison shows three elements which influence the legal instruments for the management and reuse of these assets, namely:
1) the system of relations between state and religious denominations
2) the regime of ownership, public or private, of places of worship
3) the legislation on cultural heritage.
However, two trends can be distinguished, one towards the privatisation of ownership, the other towards its valorisation as a common good. The latter perspective seems to be in line with both the Catholic magisterium on subsidiarity and the Council of Europe’s Faro Convention, which emphasises the role of communities in preserving cultural heritage.

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted on all aspects of our lives, affecting various freedoms and rights, including religious freedom. The fundamental core of this freedom, namely the individual, public and collective exercise of worship, which was indeed likened to attending a theatre or cinema performance, was eroded, first by preventing and then restricting religious celebrations. In the absence of a framework law on religious freedom that could constitute the legal basis for an agreed discipline, the stipulation of memoranda of understanding between the Italian government and six religious denominations, following a collective online meeting, appears to suggest a different way of understanding the bilateral system in our pluralist and multicultural society. Parole chiave: libertà religiosa, Chiesa cattolica, pandemia, protocolli di intesa, relazioni tra Stato e confessioni religiose Keywords: religious freedom, Catholic Church, pandemic, memoranda of understanding, relations between State and religions.

SUMMARY: 1. Introduction - 2. The temporal goods of the Church and the principle of subsidiarity - 3. The notion of common goods in Italy - 4. Some practical cases of ecclesiastical heritage as common goods in Italy- 5. A comparative perspective with Belgium: the strategic plans for the future of churches in Flanders - 6. Future perspectives and conclusions. ABSTRACT: According to recent studies, there are about 600,000 places of worship and several thousands of monasteries and convents in Europe. The process of secularization, the decrease and displacement of the population, the reduction of vocations to the sacred life can be held responsible for the redundancy of the assets of the Catholic Church. These buildings represent an impressive heritage of faith, work and creativity of the communities which made them over the centuries. Most of them are considered as “cultural heritage” by the legislation of the European States, because of their historical, cultural and artistic values. ...

Il volume Arte, Diritto e Storia. La valorizzazione del Patrimonio Culturale costituisce una prima interessante miscellanea interdisciplinare promossa dall’ISSR Pontificia Facolta Teologica Marianum e il Centro Papa Luciani di Santa Giustina (Belluno). Il libro descrive e illustra ricerche, esperienze e progetti che hanno visto la partecipazione attiva di studiosi che costruttivamente si sono confrontanti e hanno posto le basi per un dialogo interdisciplinare finalizzato all’avvicinamento e all’eduzione per il patrimonio culturale. Tutto cio trova riscontro anche nell’ambito della Convenzione quadro del Consiglio d’Europa sul valore del patrimonio culturale del 2005, sottoscritta dall’Italia nel 2013, che rimette al centro proprio la conoscenza e la valorizzazione del patrimonio ereditato mediante azioni di promozione al dialogo interculturale, all’inclusione e al rispetto delle diversita, tutti strumenti fondamentali per uno sviluppo e utilizzo sostenibile delle risorse che vengono...

The study and analysis of the management of places of worship, i.e. of the religious cultural heritage, offers interesting opportunities of reflection on the law aspects of the topic, in particular the interplay between State and Canonical regulations which involves a proceeding, a complex and precise succession of acts by two administrative apparatus, the State one and the Ecclesiastical one. The article, starting from a brief reference to the procedures for a satisfactory reusing of places of worship, centered on the Can. 1222 and Article 831 para. 2 of the Italian Civil Code, as well as on the rules of the code of cultural heritage (Legislative Decree no. 42/2004), focuses on the analysis of a case of alienation, then turned into donation, of two churches to a public administration In particular, it concerns St. Orsola’s church and San Bernardino’s, donated to the Municipality of Sommariva del Bosco (CN) by the Diocese of Turin and used for socio-cultural activities. The complexi...

The dismissal of monasteries raises considerable problems from a legal point of view. It is necessary, therefore, to seek the juridical instruments, both of civil law and of administrative law, which, incompliance with the framework provided by canon law, can concretely allow the cultural valorization and reuse of these buildings, succeeding in reconciling the needs of economic feasibility with possible new profane uses, maintaining, where possible, the ownership by the ecclesiastical body. For this reason, in addition to the ordinary instruments of rights in rem (building rights and usufruct) and obligations (lease, rent and loan), it is necessary to better investigate the applicability of other legal instruments, such as the agreements for the valorization of privately owned cultural heritage and the sponsorships referred to, respectively, in articles 113 and 120 of the Italian code of cultural heritage and landscape, as well as the trust, project management and project financing....

SOMMARIO: 1. Introduzione - 2. Problematiche di diritto canonico: la gravita della causa e l’uso non indecoroso tra normativa e giurisprudenza - 3. Problematiche tra diritto civile e diritto canonico: il vincolo di destinazione al culto - 4. Problematiche di diritto civile: la scelta dello strumento giuridico - 5. Problematiche di diritto amministrativo: il divieto di distruzione e di uso illecito e il cambiamento di destinazione d’uso compatibile con il carattere storico e artistico dell’edificio - 6. The future of churches: casi di studio e riflessioni a partire dal convegno di Bologna - 7. Conclusioni. The reuse of places of worship: problematic aspects between canon law, civil law and administrative law Abstract: This article focuses on the juridical problematic aspects linked to the reuse of places of worship. It wants to examine the notion of “other grave causes” and “not sordid use” in canon law, the hypothecation as a place of worship and the choice of the more appropriate j...

Questo articolo intende commentare l’ordinanza emessa nell’ottobre 2020 dal Tribunale di Bergamo, con la quale la Regione Lombardia è stata condannata per discriminazione per motivi religiosi. Infatti, l’esercizio della prelazione culturale su una chiesa non più utilizzata per il culto cattolico è stato ritenuto discriminatorio nei confronti del diritto di proprietà di una associazione musulmana, che aveva acquistato tale edificio ad un’asta pubblica allo scopo di adibirlo a moschea. La decisione del Tribunale è stata giustificata principalmente sulla base delle dichiarazioni pubbliche rese dal Presidente della Regione e da altri assessori, nonché sulla base dell’inconsistenza del programma di valorizzazione culturale addotto come motivazione. Tuttavia, l’ordinanza in commento solleva una questione teorica assai rilevante, ovvero se il giudice ordinario possa spingersi sino a revocare o annullare un provvedimento amministrativo ritenuto discriminatorio, oppure se possa soltanto disapplicarlo, conformemente al tradizionale riparto di giurisdizione tra giudice ordinario e giudice amministrativo.

This paper aims to look for elements of democracy in the origins of the monastic chapter. These elements should be preserved and re-proposed in the legal instruments of civil law that could be most suitable for the management and the reuse of decommissioned monasteries and convents. Starting from the configuration of these goods as “common goods”, the legal instruments of cooperation pacts, participatory foundations and trusts could return these assets to the community as an opportunity of participation and democracy for the whole civil society.

According to recent studies, there are about 600,000 places of worship and several thousands of monasteries and convents in Europe. The process of secularization, the decrease and displacement of the population, the reduction of vocations to the sacred life can be held responsible for the redundancy of the assets of the Catholic Church. These buildings represent an impressive heritage of faith, work and creativity of the communities which made them over the centuries. Most of them are considered as “cultural heritage” by the legislation of the European States, because of their historical, cultural and artistic values. Up to now, the main solution to this phenomenon has consisted in the alienation of these properties. However, the selling and the disposal of these goods by ecclesiastical bodies cannot always be the only and preferable solution. Drawing from the analysis of some case studies in Italy, this paper aims to investigate the role of civil society participation in the regeneration process and the possibility of applying “collaboration pacts” for the management of “common goods”. In the light of the European scope of the phenomenon, a comparison is proposed in line with the legal instrument of “strategic plans”, drawn up by the diocesan bishop and local authorities in Flanders (Belgium).

La dismissione dei monasteri solleva notevoli problematiche dal punto di vista giuridico. Occorre, dunque, ricercare gli strumenti giuridici, sia di diritto civile, sia di diritto amministrativo che, nel rispetto della cornice fornita dal diritto canonico, possano consentire in concreto la valorizzazione culturale e il riuso di questi edifici, riuscendo a conciliare le esigenze di fattibilità economica con i possibili nuovi usi profani, mantenendo, laddove possibile, la proprietà in capo all'ente ecclesiastico. Per questo, accanto ai classici strumenti dei diritti reali di godimento (superficie e usufrutto) ovvero dei diritti relativi (locazione, affitto e comodato), occorre meglio indagare l'applicabilità di altri istituti, quali gli accordi per la valorizzazione dei beni culturali di proprietà privata e le sponsorizzazioni di cui rispettivamente agli artt. 113 e 120 del codice dei beni culturali e del paesaggio, nonché il trust, il project management e il project financing. Questi strumenti potrebbero essere utilizzati, tuttavia, sotto il controllo di un ente fondazionale, attorno al quale radunare e conciliare i diversi interessi rappresentati dagli stakeholder. È questo l'auspicio per una "nuova via di redenzione" che possa far rinascere l'ex monastero di Vicopelago, ovvero il caso di studio esaminato dalla Lucca Summer School, verso nuovi usi sociali, artistici e culturali compatibili con la sua storia e le diverse funzioni che questo bene ha saputo assumere nel corso del tempo.

Questo articolo intende commentare l’ordinanza emessa nell’ottobre
2020 dal Tribunale di Bergamo, con la quale la Regione Lombardia
è stata condannata per discriminazione per motivi religiosi. Infatti,
l’esercizio della prelazione culturale su una chiesa non più utilizzata
per il culto cattolico è stato ritenuto discriminatorio nei confronti
del diritto di proprietà di una associazione musulmana, che
aveva acquistato tale edificio ad un’asta pubblica allo scopo di adibirlo
a moschea. La decisione del Tribunale è stata giustificata principalmente
sulla base delle dichiarazioni pubbliche rese dal Presidente
della Regione e da altri assessori, nonché sulla base dell’inconsistenza
del programma di valorizzazione culturale addotto come motivazione.
Tuttavia, l’ordinanza in commento solleva una questione
teorica assai rilevante, ovvero se il giudice ordinario possa spingersi
sino a revocare o annullare un provvedimento amministrativo ritenuto
discriminatorio, oppure se possa soltanto disapplicarlo, conformemente
al tradizionale riparto di giurisdizione tra giudice ordinario
e giudice amministrativo.

This article aims to analyze a case of reuse of places of worship in Italy. Specifically, it concerns a little church set in a former hospital in Bergamo, sold to a Muslim association that took part in a public auction and that would now like to transform it in a mosque. In conclusion, the main objective of this contribution is to raise some questions, related to this new phenomenon regulated by different legal disciplines, such as canon law, administrative law and civil law, pointing out the new challenges which the jurists and not only them will have to face.

Lo studio e l’analisi della gestione dei luoghi di culto, intesi come beni culturali di interesse religioso, offre interessanti punti di riflessione sugli aspetti giuridici della questione, in particolare l’intreccio tra norme statali e canoniche che comporta un procedimento, una complessa e precisa successione di atti da parte di due apparati amministrativi, quello statale e quello ecclesiastico. L’articolo, partendo da un sintetico riferimento alle procedure per il riuso non indecoroso dei luoghi di culto, incentrato sul can. 1222 e sull’art. 831 c. 2 c.c., oltre che sulle norme del codice dei beni culturali (d.lgs. 42/2004), si sofferma sull’analisi di un caso di alienazione, poi trasformatosi in donazione, di due chiese ad una amministrazione pubblica. In particolare, si tratta della chiesa di Sant’Orsola e della chiesa di San Bernardino, donate al Comune di Sommariva del Bosco (CN) dalla Diocesi di Torino ed adibite entrambe ad attività socio-culturali. La complessità di questo caso consente di allargare l’orizzonte e suggerire proposte nel momento in cui la diocesi si troverà ad affrontare casi futuri che necessitino di un confronto e di una trattativa con degli stakeholder. In conclusione si evidenziano gli obiettivi e le prospettive intraprese dalla Diocesi di Torino circa il censimento del patrimonio onde poter agevolmente classificare i propri beni ed individuare quali mantenere adibiti all’esercizio del culto e quali invece possano risultare idonei, di concerto con gli enti e le istituzioni presenti sul territorio, ad essere alienati oppure, soluzione preferita laddove possibile, ad essere concessi in comodato gratuito ad associazioni o a pubbliche amministrazioni per finalità culturali e comunque non in contrasto con l’interesse religioso connaturato al bene.

SOMMARIO: 1. Introduzione - 2. Problematiche di diritto canonico: la gravità della causa e l'uso non indecoroso tra normativa e giurisprudenza - 3. Problematiche tra diritto civile e diritto canonico: il vincolo di destinazione al culto - 4. Problematiche di diritto civile: la scelta dello strumento giuridico - 5. Problematiche di diritto amministrativo: il divieto di distruzione e di uso illecito e il cambiamento di destinazione d'uso compatibile con il carattere storico e artistico dell'edificio - 6. The future of churches: casi di studio e riflessioni a partire dal convegno di Bologna - 7. Conclusioni.

Vers de nouvelles approches légales pour la gestion et l’utilisation des lieux de culte en Europe. Une étude comparative entre la Belgique, la France et l’Italie

Les problèmes de l'utilisation et de la réutilisation des lieux de culte sont communs à la plupart des Pays européens d'ancienne tradition chrétienne. En raison de la sécularisation, des évolutions démographiques et des flux migratoires des campagnes vers les centres urbains, ces édifices connaissent une diminution progressive de leur utilisation par des communautés en déclin. Une étude comparative menée entre la Belgique, la France et l'Italie sur les édifices dédiés au culte catholique met en lumière des réactions semblables mais non identiques face à ce phénomène, en tenant compte des divers systèmes de relations entre l'État et les religions, du régime de propriété ainsi que de la législation sur le patrimoine culturel. Le droit canonique doit également être pris en considération, avec son concept d'« usages profanes non inconvenantes », permettant la cessation du culte dans une église, et la nécessité de son actualisation, tant au niveau universel que local, en ce qui concerne la régulation des utilisations mixtes, englobant des activités autres que strictement cultuelles, tant dans l'espace que dans le teémps. C'est précisément dans ce contexte que se pose la délicate question du lien entre le culte et la culture, susceptible de déboucher soit sur un dialogue fécond, soit sur un conflit stérile.
Si la France ou la Belgique se distinguent par une contrainte cultuelle sur les biens de propriété publique, les approches adoptées reposent respectivement sur la nécessité d'un accord préalable avec l'affectataire pour les usages culturels (conformément à l'Article L2124 31 du Code général de la propriété des personnes publiques) et sur l'établissement de plans stratégiques entre les autorités civiles et religieuses pour déterminer les utilisations futures des églises (dans les Flandres).
En Italie, où la propriété ecclésiastique est prépondérante, de nouvelles solutions juridiques, telles que celles liées à la notion récente de « biens communs », devront être expérimentées afin de restituer ces biens à une communauté plus large que celle des seuls fidèles pour des finalités compatibles avec leur destination originelle.
Ces perspective s semblent correspondre aux progrès de la recherche sur le patrimoine culturel, qui vise à mettre l accent sur la communauté qui se reconnaît dans ces biens, plutôt que sur la simple fonction administrative de protection . En particulier, la référence est faite à la notion de « communauté patrimoniale » introduite par la Convention cadre du Conseil de l'Europe sur la valeur du patrimoine culturel pour la société , Faro, 2005 , signée et ratifiée par la Belgique et l'Italie, mais pas par la France Cette ré interprétation du patrimoine culturel nous rappelle que sans la participation active des communautés et des acteurs locaux, il semble difficile que la plupart de ces
biens aient un avenir autre que la négligence et l'abandon. Par conséquent, tout le monde - administrateurs locaux, politiciens, ministres du culte, associations, simples citoyens - est invité à prendre ses responsabilités et à collaborer.
En conclusion, une analyse comparative et approfondie de ces différentes réalités, mettant en lumière à la fois les difficultés rencontrées et les bonnes pratiques, peut fournir des indications importantes sur la manière de transformer un problème en une ressource pour le développement social, culturel et économique des communautés locales.

In recent decades, the Catholic Church has changed its position on the cremation of the faithful departed, moving from a decidedly anti-cremation stance to a more open-minded one. For various reasons, including the lack of space in cemeteries and the significantly lower costs compared to burial, the use of cremation has increased exponentially. Thus, the hostile connotation of this practice with respect to the Church’s doctrine on the resurrection of bodies has been lost. Therefore, in some countries, such as Germany, the conversion of redundant churches into columbaria, i.e. places where the ashes of the faithful can be kept, has become widespread, while maintaining the sacred character of the place. This contribution, starting from the creation of a special commission on the matter by the Archdiocese of Bologna, which resulted in the two questions answered by the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on 9 December 2023, intends to present the problematic profiles of this solution in the Italian context, in the light of the complexity and plurality of regional regulations about mortuary police.

Relazione: "Dalle chiese “chiuse” alle chiese “a porte aperte”: un confronto tra casi veneziani e torinesi" al Convegno "Chiesa e beni culturali. Tutela e valorizzazione", promosso dalla Facoltà di Diritto Canonico San Pio X di Venezia, organizzato dalla Rivista internazionale Ephemerides Iuris Canonici (EIC) e patrocinato dall' Osservatorio giuridico-legislativo della Conferenza Episcopale del Triveneto - Mercoledì 6 marzo 2024

Presentation of the book "Gli edifici di culto come beni culturali in Italia. Nuovi scenari per la gestione e il riuso delle chiese cattoliche tra diritto canonico e diritto statale" (University of Turin, Turin, 2023, 414 pp.). Turin, Faculty of Theology, November 3, 2023, 6 p.m. In presence and online at this link: https://www.teologiatorino.it/un-nuovo-ciclo-di-teologia-oggi/

The phenomenon of the abandonment and the reuse of places of worship is increasing everywhere in Western European countries. Due to secularization, the decline and the movement of the population, these assets are less and less used. The exact number of properties involved is not known, but significant numbers can be expected, if it is true that there are an estimated 600,000 existing houses of worship in Europe. The aim of the contribution is to verify, taking as examples three states with a Catholic tradition, namely Belgium, France, and Italy, what the different approaches to the phenomenon are, taking into account the different systems of relations between States and religious denominations and the legal regimes of places of worship, so as to be able to propose new legal solutions.
The methodology consisted in an examination of the different legislations existing in Belgium, France and Italy, concerning buildings of worship and the protection and enhancement of cultural heritage. As an indepth focus, the research was limited to Catholic churches and, as far as Italy is concerned, a systematic study of the cases of decommissioning that occurred in the diocese of Turin between 1978 and 2019 was carried out.
Despite the diversity of ownership – public in Belgium and France, tendentially private in Italy – some common elements emerge: the importance of the community participation in decisions on new uses, the possibility of mixed uses for worship and secular activities, and the valorisation of the cultural aspects of these assets.
The research leads me to formulate a decalogue, containing elements that should be considered, before proceeding to the canonical reduction to profane uses and following reuse of churches, involving community participation, agreement between ecclesiastical and civil authorities and the pursuit of a systemic approach.

La summer school, svoltasi a Lucca dal 25 luglio al 3 agosto 2019, ha coinvolto laureati e laureandi nelle discipline giuridiche, economiche, architettoniche, ingegneristiche, sociologiche, della conservazione dei beni culturali e delle scienze della comunicazione, per:
1. portare all'attenzione della comunità accademica, degli organi ecclesiali, delle amministrazioni e dei progettisti il tema urgente relativo a strategie di soccorso e salvaguardia per i beni immobili delle comunità religiose;
2. avviare riflessioni concrete e proposte di gestione e riuso per i casi specifici adottati come tema di studio;
3. formulare, simulare e valutare progetti di valorizzazione patrimoniale specifici per i beni culturali ecclesiastici, secondo modalità partecipate con i proprietari, con le comunità e gli stakeholder locali in modo da strutturare processi replicabili;
4. sviluppare professionalità specifiche e sollecitare sensibilità professionali dedicate ai temi della progettazione di interventi di riuso e valorizzazione di complessi architettonici di pregio degli enti religiosi tramite un approccio interdisciplinare e partecipativo, attento tanto alle peculiarità di ordine tipologico e normativo, quanto semantico e valoriale, sia rispetto ai caratteri estrinseci (valore urbano e paesaggistico) che intrinseci (valore ecclesiale e teologico-liturgico);
5. favorire un atteggiamento olistico e tecniche e approcci interdisciplinari nella gestione di problemi complessi, quali quelli attinenti alla valorizzazione e riuso dei beni culturali ecclesiastici.

Tackling the problem of the redundancy of Catholic places of worship in Europe requires new strategic approaches. A comparison between Italy, Belgium and France shows that, despite different legal systems, a similar approach is possible. The classification of churches as common goods and the activation of participatory processes for the identification of new secular uses can allow adaptive reuse solutions compatible with both canon law and civil law, including international conventions.

Il presente contributo intende presentare alcuni profili di Diritto e religione nell'opera lirica "La juive" di Jacques Fromental Halévy (1835). In particolare, si affronta l'evoluzione della disciplina giuridica, all'interno del diritto canonico, dell'impedimento della disparità di culto rispetto alla celebrazione di matrimoni tra cristiani e non cristiani. Nella finzione operistica, infatti, risulta vietata e addirittura punita con la pena di morte la relazione tra un cristiano e un ebrea, nel contesto storico del concilio di Costanza (1414-1418).

Il volume affronta i temi della gestione e del riuso degli edifici di culto e, nello specifico, delle chiese cattoliche, quali beni culturali di interesse religioso in Italia. Ricostruita la complessa disciplina sottesa alla “dimissione” – riduzione ad uso profano non indecoroso ex can. 1222 § 2 – e alla “dismissione” – trasferimento di proprietà – delle chiese, l’esposizione prosegue con la disamina di casi concreti di riuso, verificatisi nell’Arcidiocesi di Torino tra il 1978 e il 2019. Una volta inquadrati gli edifici di culto dimessi tra i “beni comuni”, si individuano nei patti di collaborazione, nella fondazione di partecipazione e nel trust i nuovi modelli di governance, inclusivi e sostenibili, che potranno trasformare questi immobili sovrabbondanti in una risorsa per lo sviluppo sociale, economico e culturale delle comunità territoriali di riferimento.

Places of worship have always played a crucial role in defining the landscape and character of our cities and villages. Each building has its own story to tell and represents the effort of a whole community in the creation of a common identity. For this reason, as well as for their historical and artistic value, these goods are frequently protected by the legislation of the States as a part of their national cultural heritage. Nevertheless, the problem of their re-signification arises when their religious purpose ceases, as it is happening everywhere in Europe because of secularisation, demographic decline and migrations. Focusing on the Catholic Church’s assets because of their significative presence in Western Europe, this paper aims to provide a vision on the future of these goods, underlining their value as “common goods” for local communities. In fact, the population recognises these assets as having both a use value and a cultural heritage value, which must be considered when identifying the new profane uses. These are goods that evoke a dual belonging, i.e. not only to the ecclesial community, but also to the wider civil community that has the right to be able to express its opinions on the reuse of buildings no longer used for worship. The comparative study of the legal framework and experiences from Belgium, France and Italy, in search of best practices and replicable management solutions, shows that, in spite of their different legislations, a new awareness is emerging with respect to this heritage, which should not be destined to neglect and abandonment but properly valorised. Through participatory processes, it seems possible to identify the needs emerging within communities, so that political and ecclesiastical decision-makers will be able to adopt solutions that can generate a positive impact in terms of social, cultural and economic development. In this way, these assets will be restored to the spatial and cultural centrality they have always had in the neighbourhoods of our cities and in rural villages.

Il saggio descrive lo scenario storico e giuridico nel quale sono maturate le norme e i regolamenti della Conferenza Episcopale Italiana per la tutela e valorizzazione del patrimonio ecclesiastico e per la costruzione di nuove chiese, fino a giungere agli attuali indirizzi operativi dell'Ufficio Nazionale per i beni culturali ecclesiastici e l'edilizia di culto, istituito nel 2016.