The Conference

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE 2026 CONFERENCE

“State Neutrality and Cooperation with Religion: Protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief without Discrimination”

The official languages of the conference are English and Italian. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided during the plenary sessions.

The notion of the State’s religious neutrality, in its different forms, has been discussed for a long time.

In the international community and institutions, there is a consensus that the various national systems of relations between of State and religion must in principle be respected, as they respond to specific historic, social, cultural and political circumstances.

However, some jurisdictions, as the European Court of Human Rights, have held that a certain religious neutrality of the State is necessary to preserve the reciprocal autonomy of the secular and the religious spheres, and also as a condition for the guarantee of freedom of religion or belief on equal conditions for all individuals and communities.

This poses the challenge of defining the characteristics of such neutrality and how to reconcile it with the State’s cooperation with religion that is common in most countries.

Indeed, all over the world, States cooperate with religious communities as a matter of praxis – and in some cases as a consequence of a constitutional principle – on the basis that public authorities must create the circumstances that facilitate the exercise of fundamental rights.

Neutrality, cooperation and equality thus appear as three essential coordinates that define how freedom of religion or belief should be protected in contemporary legal systems.

The aim of this conference is to explore the meaning of these three notions as well as their interactions and the mutual limitations they can impose on each other.

Specific subjects for papers or panels proposals

Proposals for panels or individual papers must refer, in principle, to some of the following specific subjects:

1. The law governing relations between the State and religion: majorities and minorities
2. International jurisdictions and national systems of relations between State and religion
3. Legal personality of religious or belief groups
4. Legal pluralism and jurisdictional boundaries between State and religion
5. Rights of religious minorities in cooperationist States
6. The role of the State in inter-religious dialogue
7. The design of public spaces
8. Conflicts between conscience and law
9. Religious marriage and family relationships
10. Religious symbols in the public space
11. Ministers of worship
12. Places of worship and meeting
13. Preservation of religious heritage
14. Freedom of religion or belief at the working place and the public service
15. Education and teaching
16. The right to religious assistance in public institutions
17. Offensive public speech against religions or beliefs
18. Freedom of expression of religious leaders
19. Freedom of religion or belief and the right to the respect for private and family life
20. The role of the State vis-à-vis women’s rights in religious communities
21. Freedom of religion or belief and security
22. Religious freedom and the protection of public health
23. Freedom of religion or belief and minors
24. Religion and sustainable development