Bishops urge restraint as electoral rhetoric sharpens divide over schools and migration
The Italian bishops' conference has called for political parties to preserve social cohesion during the ongoing electoral campaign, warning that polarizing slogans risk damaging civil coexistence. Monsignor Giuseppe Baturi, Secretary General of the Italian Episcopal Conference (Conferenza Episcopale Italiana), told reporters that bishops are concerned about the tone of political debate and urged convergence on issues such as education and the fight against poverty.
Speaking at the conclusion of the Permanent Episcopal Council's meeting, Baturi's remarks followed a forceful opening address by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the conference, who had stressed the need for an inclusive school system.
Schools and the integration debate
The meeting took place against a backdrop of political conflict over education policy. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, appearing on the television programme Porta a Porta in late September 2026, cited two ministerial circulars from 1989 and 1990 signed by President Sergio Mattarella during his time as education minister. Meloni argued that those documents supported her proposal to introduce a 30% cap on foreign students per class, describing it as a measure of common sense to prevent what she termed ghetto classes.
Avvenire, the daily newspaper owned by the bishops' conference, responded that the comparison does not hold. The circulars from nearly four decades ago addressed a context of roughly 20,500 foreign students nationwide; today that figure stands at approximately 930,000. The 1989 and 1990 documents recommended grouping students from the same linguistic background while limiting numbers to four or five per class to facilitate Italian language learning, not to restrict access.
President Mattarella, speaking at the inauguration of the 2026/2027 school year in Amatrice on 21 September, had previously stated that schools must avoid forming ghettos, raising barriers, or tearing communities apart.
Baturi confirmed that the bishops' final communiqué echoed Zuppi's call for inclusion. He described education as the most important factor in humanising society and said the school system must be a place of encounter that reflects the best of society.
Migration and European responsibility
The Secretary General addressed the broader question of integration, clarifying that bishops had spoken about welcome and integration, not assimilation. He stated that integration should not mean erasing difference but creating genuine opportunities for encounter.
Baturi added that if such matters were discussed at a European level, the response to a global phenomenon would be more effective.
The government's decree for the current school year introduces several measures: from 2027/2028, first-year primary classes may not exceed 30% of pupils who are non-Italian citizens not born in Italy or without at least two years of pre-school attendance. Similar limits apply to secondary schools. Parents of foreign pupils must demonstrate minimum A2 level Italian language knowledge, with failure to comply potentially leading to administrative sanctions.
Words about women must carry respect
Baturi also responded to recent comments by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and by Roberto Vannacci, leader of Futuro nazionale. Tajani had suggested choosing a wife who is less showy and more reliable, with longer skirts, drawing an analogy to political choices; he later apologised, saying his words were misunderstood. Vannacci responded that between a woman with a long skirt and one with a short skirt, he would always prefer a woman without a skirt, later framing it as a light-hearted remark.
Baturi said every word and every glance toward a woman must be charged with respect and admiration. For Christians, he noted, the first place the Word became flesh was the womb of a woman, a belief that permanently shapes how the Church views women. He concluded by calling for respect, particularly when women risk being treated as objects of superficial gazes.
