Teachers at a primary school in Padua, northern Italy, have been criticized for replacing the word ‘Jesus’ with ‘cuckoo’ in the text of the schoolchildren’s traditional Christmas performance.
In an effort not to offend families of children of other faiths, all Catholic references, including the name Jesus and the birth of Christ, have been removed from the poem.
Parents reacted indignantly
According to local media reports, this decision angered the parents of Catholic students. The parents criticized the distribution of the revised and corrected grade lists to students as it demonstrated the school’s attempt to make a “politically correct” correction. The teachers defended themselves and claimed that they decided to change the text to avoid controversy at school.
The president of the Veneto region, which also includes the city of Padua, criticized the “artificial” change of a Christmas carol. This does not promote integration. “The idea of promoting integration by erasing references to our religion, our identity and the culture that has characterized the Veneto region for centuries is a gesture that we cannot accept,” the League leader said. Catholic senator Antonio De Poli spoke of “a folly that pollutes our values and traditions.”
New law aims to ‘protect traditions’
Italy wants to protect Christmas traditions in schools in the future and prevent Christmas celebrations from being renamed ‘winter festivals’. The right-wing Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) party led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni submitted a bill in parliament that would, among other things, guarantee the installation of nativity scenes. The draft also provides for sanctions for school principals who do not comply with the law.
According to the bill, traditional celebrations related to Christmas and Easter, such as nativity plays, plays and other events, should be protected. It is not yet known when parliament will discuss the bill. There was immediate sharp criticism from the opposition parties and the Association of Italian School Directors. “The traditions of the country must certainly be taken into account, but prescribing them by law is not appropriate,” warned the president of the national association of school principals ANP Antonello Giannelli before the case at the school in Padua became known.
Source: Krone
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