Buddhism recognised in Italy
(From an article published in a Buddhist magazine (Buddhayana Quarterly) from Holland on page 5, January 2001, European News: "ITALY - BUDDHISM RECOGNISED")

Rome, October (Mandala) - Italy has accepted Buddhism as a religion, the first religion other than Christianity and Judaism to be recognised there. At the beginning of 2000 the Italian Parliament accepted an agreement between the Unione Buddhista Italiana and the Government.

The Unione Buddhista Italiana, which was established in 1984, has 32 Dhamma Centres following the Theravadan, Vajrayana and Zen Traditions. Centres wishing to become members must comply to the following conditions: refugee to the Triple Gem must be taken, the five precepts must be followed in their centre, and there must be a qualified teacher from an unbroken line leading the centre, and the centre must have statues which are compatible with the Unione Buddhista Italiana's general rules.

Under the current Italian constitution every religious organisation has to reach an agreement with the state, under which the religion is examined to see if its customs, rituals, etc are in accordance with the constitution and law. When a formal agreement is reached, the religion becomes a state religion, with the same rights as other state religions.

This means that Buddhist monks and nuns are officially recognised and have special provisions for their old age and the right to secrecy (i.e the police cannot question them over other Buddhists). They can visit prisons and intensive care departments in hospitals, and they can lead marriage and funeral services. Buddhism will also be introduced to public schools. There are also tax advantages of 0.8% for those people offering monetary gifts to Buddhist organisations.