Six billion euros. That's how much the Catholic Church costs Italy every year, according to the first detailed investigation of the impact of state support and tax privileges received by the Church. The findings by Italy’s Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR), a member organization of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, were published the day after Italy’s new government announced a budget filled with new taxes and drastic spending cuts.

The Vatican made a big publicity push out of Pope Benedict XVI’s personal initiative to invite atheists to this week’s interfaith dialogue at Assisi, Italy. It was supposed to be a day of reflection and dialogue, but Benedict XVI, with four atheists in attendance at his invitation, turned the meeting into yet another attack against atheists.

Italian freethinkers have welcomed a court ruling that requires public schools to provide alternatives to Catholic classes on religion. The Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR), an IHEU member organization, provided financial and legal support for the case brought by the parents of a child attending a state primary school in Padua.

Ecumenical News International just reported that Pope Benedict travelled to Turin on 2 May to "venerate" the Turin shroud, a medieval fake that was claimed to be the burial cloth or shroud of Jesus Christ.

The International Liaison Committee of Freethinkers and Atheists (ILCFA) has launched a petition to express solidarity with Italian judge Luigi Tosti. Judge Tosti was first sentenced to jail and then dismissed as a judge for refusing to administer justice under a crucifix. The petition is available here: http://www.cilalp.org/spip.php?article343

The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) strongly supports the demonstrations held in Rome last weekend, 18th October, 2009,protesting against the refusal of the Italian Parliament to pass laws protecting people physically victimised because of their sexual orientation.

IHEU member organization the French Libre Pensée has sent Pope Benedict XVI ironic congratulations on the 80th anniversary of the foundation of the Vatican State by the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and Pope Pius XI.

In a ruling dated February 17, 2009, the Court of Cassation (Supreme Court) in Rome has acquitted Judge Tosti of all charges. Judge Tosti had been sentenced to seven months in prison for refusing to hold court under a crucifix.

This ruling is a great victory for all secularists, in particular the Giordano Free Thought Federation.

The President of IHEU, Sonja Eggerickx, has sent greetings to the Libero Pensiero "Giordano Bruno" on the occasion of their annual commemortaion in the Campo de' Fiori, Rome on the occasion of the 409th anniversary of the murder of Giordano Bruno by the Catholic Church. The ceremony was attended this year by Hugo Estrella representing IHEU.

In what country has a regional court and the main administrative body given the ruling that the crucifix is “the symbol of a secular state”? One would assume it would be in a very religious country. But no, it is in a country where less than half of the citizens declare that they have confidence in the Catholic Church, and where the number of people who regularly attend Sunday mass or choose to get married in church is falling drastically.