Europe (Geography) Archives

“Democracy and Religions in Italy Beyond the Concordat and Agreements: Towards a Participatory Model” by Davide Dimodugno

Sep 4, 2025Canopy ForumEssaysConstitutional Law, Dimodugno, Davide, Europe (Geography), Interfaith, September 2025

Italian Chamber of Deputies in Palazzo Montecitorio, Rome, Italy by Palazzo del Quirinale (PD-ItalyGov) Forty years after the Villa Madama Agreement, which redefined relations between the Italian Republic and the Catholic Church, and the first agreement with the Waldensian Table, it has become necessary to reconsider the instruments governing the dialogue between the State and…

“Does Religious Peacekeeping Still Matter If It Doesn’t Produce Peace?” by Peter Henne

Jul 18, 2025Canopy ForumEssaysAsia (Geography), Europe (Geography), July 2025, North America (Geography), Politics, Religion and State

Russell Senate Office Building by Architect of the Capitol (US-PD). During his second term, President Barack Obama attempted to restart the Israel-Palestine peace process, following in the footsteps of every president since George H.W. Bush. Like other attempts, it fell apart quickly, much to the frustration of all. In April of 2014, then U.S. Secretary…

“More a Church than a Crown? The Spanish Inquisition and Las Casas’s Legal Thought” by Matthew Cavedon

Jul 17, 2025Canopy ForumEssaysCavedon, Matthew P., Christianity, Europe (Geography), History, July 2025

The Inquisition Tribunal by Francisco Goya (PD-Art). Bartolomé de Las Casas (c.1484–1566)—the first Catholic bishop of the Americas—commented on many of the controversies of the Spanish Empire of his day. While he never evaluated the Inquisition in writing, his life intersected with it several times. (Curiously, though Las Casas was possibly descended from conversos, or…

“The Sovereign Within: Self-Knowledge and Virtuous Governance” by Sunil Rao

Jul 9, 2025Canopy ForumEssaysAsia (Geography), Ethics, Europe (Geography), History, July 2025, Rao, Sunil

School of Athens, painting by Rafael (US-PD). Throughout history, rulers facing crises have often turned to oracles, sages, and spiritual guides for wisdom. More than 2,500 years ago, King Croesus of Lydia consulted the Oracle at Delphi on whether to wage war against Persia. The Oracle replied that if Croesus attacked, he would “destroy a…

“Pope Leo XIV Speaks on Natural Law, Human Rights, and Artificial Intelligence” by Matthew P. Cavedon

Jun 25, 2025Canopy ForumEssaysCavedon, Matthew P., Christianity, Europe (Geography), Human Rights / Civil Rights, June 2025

Scenes from the Life of Saint Augustine of Hippo via Metropolitan Museum of Art (US-PD). On June 21, Pope Leo XIV delivered one of his first statements on Catholic social teaching. Addressing members of the International Inter-Parliamentary Union, he emphasized themes that are emerging as focuses for his papacy: unity, dialogue, and the challenges presented…

“Leo XIV: The Pope of Unity” by Rafael Domingo

May 30, 2025Canopy ForumEssaysChristianity, Domingo, Rafael, Europe (Geography), May 2025

The Facade of St. Peter’s Basilica upon Leo XIV’s first appearance via WikiMedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). With the election of Leo XIV, the Catholic Church embarks on a new chapter in its rich universal history–this time set against the backdrop of a globalized and fragmented world, one that is heavily armed and yearning for…

“The Management and Reuse of Catholic Churches in Belgium, France, and Italy from a Comparative Perspective” by Davide Dimodugno

May 15, 2025Canopy ForumLiterature HighlightsDimodugno, Davide, Europe (Geography), May 2025, Religion and State

The Management and Reuse of Catholic Churches in Belgium, France, and Italy from a Comparative Perspective Davide Dimodugno The following is a translated introduction to Davide Dimodugno’s latest book, La gestione e il riuso delle chiese cattoliche in una prospettiva comparata – Un’indagine tra Belgio, Francia e Italia (Turin, 2025). Dimodugno’s work is available to…

“Secularity, Dignity, and Human Rights: A Review of Human Rights in a Divided World by David Hollenbach, S.J.” by David Little

Jan 16, 2025Canopy ForumEssaysCatholicism, Europe (Geography), Human Rights / Civil Rights, January 2025, Little, David

View from the Arc de Triomphe in France by Pierre Blaché (CC0 1.0.) In a definitive study of the origins, drafting, and intent of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Johannes Morsink calls attention to a deep, widespread division of opinion within religious communities toward human rights (285). He points out that representatives of most…

“Discrimination After Death: The Afterlives of Muslims in Spain” by Paula M. Arana Barbier

Jan 14, 2025Canopy ForumSeriesArana Barbier, Paula M., Europe (Geography), Islam, January 2025, Religious Freedom

Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, Spain. Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). This article is part of our virtual symposium and essay series, “Masking Religious Freedom Violations.” Read more here. Despite common assumptions, our social and political lives do not simply end once we die; the idea of an afterlife, although mainly theological, can also…

“The Mask Askew: How the Turkish Protestant Movement Recognized and Surmounted Religious Discrimination” by James Bultema

Jan 8, 2025Canopy ForumSeriesBultema, James, Christianity, Europe (Geography), January 2025, Religious Freedom

Istanbul Skyline via Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0). This article is part of our virtual symposium and essay series, “Masking Religious Freedom Violations.” Read more here. One of the most grievous periods of Christian history in the land of Turkey spanned much of the 20th century. One episode was the Istanbul pogrom of September 6-7, 1955,…