Juridical Status of Scientology in European Case Law

The jurisprudential path which led to the legal qualification of Scientology as a religion, according to Italian law was very interesting. The problem concerned the lack of definition of religion and the fact that recognition as a confession gives a religious denomination several benefits such as political taxation. Furthermore, the absence of recognition had led to the possibility of considering normal activities of worship as criminal offenses: i.e. as criminal conspiracy, abuse of the disabled etc. The so-called “long process of Milan”, which lasted 20 years, however, officially recognized the characteristics of the religious denomination of Scientology. In this sense, the “Scientology case” can be considered a paradigm for a real understanding of the rights that our legal system recognizes in regards to religious movements and, in particular, the right of religious freedom and the principle of “laicità”.