Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Italian government has granted The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with official status as a church and partner of the state.
Italian Pres. Georgio Napolitano signed the Intesa con lo Stato on July 30.
The intesa was approved May 13, 2010, by the country's Council of Ministers, and was approved by the Senate in July. Napolitano's signature officially moves the religion from its former status as a charity to that of a church.
The church had been recognized by the country as a charitable institution since 1993.
Few religions have been granted the highest status with the Italian government: among them are the Catholic, Baptist and Methodist churches.
The legal agreement gives the LDS church more freedom in the country as both a church and social institution.
"It will eliminate current barriers that frequently interfere with our Church leaders performing marriages and otherwise ministering, it will smooth the process for obtaining visas for missionaries and mission presidents, and it will grant unquestioned freedom for the Church to perform any functions or activities deemed essential to its worldwide mission," said John Zackrison, director of the International Coordinating Committee for the Church.
The intesa will also grant LDS clergy automatic access to state hospitals, prisons and military barracks to visit those in need.
Italian church leaders said the church's new status will enable the leaders to work more effectively with the Catholic church and other recognized religions.
"The secretary of the prime minister has already put me in touch with the minister of social activities," said Giuseppe Pasta, the church's volunteer coordinator with government and religious institutions. "Important Italian entities are already reaching out to us from the left and from the right now that we are considered an official religious denomination."
