Inter-religious and inter-cultural families in Italy : an analysis of North African-Italian marriages

Various migration flows from Mediterranean countries have introduced an increasing number of Muslim immigrants into Italy. Through the process of integration, these immigrants often marry native Italian men and women, who usually are of Catholic descent. These new interreligious and intercultural families provide a unique opportunity for greater communication, but can often develop into situations of conflict, and some marriages end in separation or divorce. This article attempts to explore the phenomenon of interreligious and intercultural marriages in Italy. It distinguishes and evaluates both the cultural and religious aspects, which often overlap and can be misidentified, and can either reinforce or weaken Catholic-Muslim marriages. This article also discusses the theoretical and clinical approaches to these issues and presents a case study to better exemplify this research.