Irreligion in Italy
Irreligion in Italy includes all citizens of Italy that are atheist, agnostic, or otherwise irreligious. Approximately 12% of Italians are irreligious, and no affiliation is the second most common religious demographic in Italy after Christianity. History. The earliest recorded accounts of atheism in Italy was in the 1550s. During the Italian Renaissance, Italy became a major hub of early secular philosophy. Lucilio Vanini represented an early voice in Italian secularism. The Venetian Holy Inquisition sought to challenge irreligion during this time. Freedom of religion in Italy was guaranteed by the Constitution of Italy following its enactment in  1948. Until then, the Catholic Church was the official state church of Italy. Irreligious Italian philosophers such as Giuseppe Rensi were critical of religion in the 20th century. Demographics. 11.5–13% of the population in Italy are religiously unaffiliated. The Global Religious Futures project predicts this number to grow to 16.3% by 2050, despite the unaffiliated group having slightly lower fertility rate than the religious ones. Using a less direct definition, the WIN/GIA Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism survey found that 23% of the population was "not a religious person" in 2012, which grew to 26% by 2017. Irreligion