From Identifying as a Minority to Identifying as a Component in a Broader Society

Waldensians and Methodists are objectively a ‘minority’ in Italian society.

However, this term risks giving the false impression that Waldensians and Methodists are merely another small community that is focused on preserving its identity and history.

In fact, Waldensians and Methodists are convinced that their history and testimony represent an important value for a multicultural and multireligious society.

Furthermore, at least in the past, the term ‘minority’ has been used to justify limiting the civil rights and religious freedom of Italian Protestants.

For these reasons, Waldensians and Methodists today define themselves as a “component” in a society that, as stated in the Italian Constitution, makes no “distinction of race, sex, or religion.”