THE TELEGRAPH: Italy has launched an appeal against a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that banned the display of crucifixes in state schools.
The court's decision last November provoked outrage in predominantly Catholic Italy, with ministers calling it shameful and an attack on the country's Christian values.
The appeal will be heard by the Grand Chamber, the highest body of the Strasbourg-based court.
A decision is not expected for three months, but if Italy loses the appeal it would mean that state-run schools across the European Union would face a ban on crucifixes and other religious symbols. >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
