Every year in Italy, increasing numbers of people are choosing to go through the simple process of de-baptism, which became available 20 years ago at the behest of the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (abbreviated in Italian as UAAR).
The Diocese of Brescia, east of Milan, said in August that 75 people had already asked to be de-baptised in 2021, as opposed to 27 in the whole of 2020. The UAAR claims that more than 100,000 people have now been de-baptised in Italy.
The Roman Catholic Church quibbles with the word ‘de-baptism’, as it is not an accurate theological term. But the Personal Data Protection Authority of Italy now states that everyone has the right to abandon the church. A de-baptism is finalised once an applicant declares the intention to leave and the decision is registered by the church authorities.
