It is Sunday
in Cagli, a town boasting thirteen churches. Bells are ringing and mass
is being held. Liturgies can be overheard beyond the marble steps outlining
the sacred ground, as old couples dressed in their best shuffle down otherwise
empty vias to make it to their favorite church on time. However,
these churches are drawing smaller and smaller crowds of devoted Cagliese,
and the youth is at the core of those absent. The massive and intricately
decorated churches that once drew the majority of the town now have mass
for a dwindling minority of older, Catholic Cagliese.
In America there is a popular perception of Italy as a traditionally,
and still prominently, Catholic country of devoted church-going worshippers.
This pretty picture, painted by the media, has permeated many Americans'
vision of Italian culture and tradition. Movies such as the Godfather,
as well as Italian-American families, have contributed to this fallacious
picture. Tightness of the family unit may not be a romanticized view of
Italian families, but the workings of Italian-American families do not
translate so simply or ideally. Simply put, Italian-Americans and antiquated
portrayals of Italy's past are not an accurate representation of Italians
currently living in Italy; these are separate factions from a common background.
As times change, so do people's values.
In Cagli, the number of practicing Catholics is down and plunging even
further, with rejuvenation out of
sight. According
to Fr. Bartolucci, a Catholic priest in Cagli, only 25% of Catholics in
Cagli actually attend mass. Even more alarming is that of this minority,
most are older men and women. This is not a geographical peculiarity solely
pertaining to Cagli, either. Gabriella, a well-traveled student in Perugia
and resident/translator in Cagli, explained that Cagli's current plight
is not unique. All over Italy churchgoers are becoming a small clique
as citizens opt to sleep in and skip out on services.
Is this current situation novel? Not in the least. In speaking with Franco,
a Cagliese man who has seen the better part of three-quarters of a century,
I discovered that the trend for at least the past twenty years has been
that younger Catholics have been nowhere to be seen when Sunday morning
comes. Though he concedes that this saddens him, he is not surprised because
of what he sees as a transition of values. "This is a different generation
because the younger people aren't forced by their parents to go [to church]
anymore. Because of the culture now they don't go with their family."
That culture is one in which ties to a structured church are weakening.
Many Italians, including the aforementioned Gabriella, are Protestant.
Rather than choosing to pass on Sunday services as a sign of moral laxity,
Italians are turning to other avenues for spirituality.
Franco (and his concurring friends) went on to elaborate that while he
makes a weekly trek to mass to pray and talk to God every Sunday, he can
sympathize with the younger crowd's current decision. "They stay out late
Saturdays and want to sleep in on Sundays. Also, politics... the mayor
is left wing, which is the party most young people identify themselves
with." The implication here is that the extreme left is communism, an
ideology which God's role is absent from daily life. As Gabriella put
it, "Young people think the left wing is cooler because that's where the
music and things that appeal to that generation are. So, they like Che
Guevara and rebel music." Popular music here (such as Rage Against the
Machine) and popular dance styles at clubs and parties all over Italy
fall under this Marxist dogma as expressions of opposition to the traditional
values. No longer is the family the core of many Italian's lives. Among
the most affected are the regazzi (youth), because they are not
coaxed to go to church they choose not to attend. The image of the Italian
family dressed up and making their way to church is a faded photo of the
past, closer resembling a 1950's American sitcom rather than current Italy.
This shift is evident regardless of whether inhabitants live in Italy.
This schism between
generations is no secret in America. Families are often divided over competing
values and their corresponding priority. The American view of generational
relationships in Italy is that of a tightly knit family in which domestic
roles are embraced.
The children
do as they're told, obeying their wise parents and dressed in tailored
clothes displaying class. The mother is the praised cook and unseen glue
of the family, catering to needs ranging from cooking and cleaning to
creative home repairs. The father is the breadwinner that orchestrates
the day's activities while keeping everyone in line. Everyone has a role,
everyone is happy. One image epitomizing this misconception is that of
the whole family walking to mass every Sunday, followed by a drawn-out
family dinner. If only it were all that simple.
Religious practices are one example of the false impressions Americans have of Italy, particularly small towns. Cagli may be a self-contained and self-reliant community, but it is still an evolving town. The romanticized view of Italians, whether they reside in the country or major cities, needs to be reexamined. Many of the same shifting values Americans have struggled to manage permeate this diminutive town wedged between three mountains.