L’insegnamento dell’etica come alternativa obbligatoria all’IRC nella Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano: tra pluralismo e vincoli costituzionali [The teaching of ethics as a mandatory alternative to Catholic religious education in the autonomous province of Bolzano: Between pluralism and legal constraints]

The teaching of Catholic religion in Italian schools, a long debated subject, is now facing the challenges of an increasingly pluralistic society. The Autonomous Province of Bolzano has introduced ethics as a mandatory alternative for students not opting for Catholic Religious Education, raising new questions regarding freedom of conscience and the legal constraints imposed by national regulations and rulings of the Constitutional Court. This paper examined the legal framework and the implications of the South Tyrolean choice, assessing its compatibility with the Italian principle of laicità and the right to education.