Abstract

The relations between religion, law and politics build a network of mutual and inevitable interferences. Italian history is a special example of this. The symbolic combination of Ruini and Salvini – a churchman and a political leader – clearly shows the specificity of the last thirty years, characterized by an improper overlap of the two levels. In this contribution I try to highlight how Ruini and Salvini using the law have bent religion for political purposes. In particular, I observe how the Ruini Catholic generation has given religion a prevalent cultural and identity value, starting a path then supported by the right-wing sovereigntist parties, which today use religious elements to base their political choices. A path probably due to the persistent absence of laicità.