Rome, Italy, May 11, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The renowned Vatican watcher Sandro Magister analyzes the growing debate among Catholic Italians regarding which Protestant denomonitations should be accepted in his weekly article published by L’Espresso Online.
According to Magister, the debate has been fueled by a study commissioned by the Waldensian Church—one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Italy—which reveals discrepancies between Catholics regarding how they view different Protestant denominations.
A study commissioned by the Waldensian Church and made public on May 6 certifies that Italians appreciate Protestantism for its “social commitment,” “solidarity,” and “moral rigor,” apart from a “better knowledge of the sacred texts” and “behavior more consistent with their faith.”
The study reveals that Italians are very ignorant of the Evangelical world—most of them think, for example, that President Bush is Catholic—and they “appreciate Protestantism for its ‘social commitment,’ ‘solidarity,’ and ‘moral rigor,’ apart from a ‘better knowledge of the sacred texts’ and ‘behavior more consistent with their faith’.”