The Italian Deputies Chamber unanimously approved with 268 votes a draft law regulating reports between the Italian State and the Romanian Orthodox Diocese, informs basilica.ro.

The Diocese of Italy thanked the Chamber of Deputies for Thursday's vote, which affirms the spiritual and social role of the Romanian Orthodox community, the Romanian Patriarchate's Basilica Agency (basilica.ro) reported on Friday, citing the diocese.

'The vote today reflects more than five decades of mission and sacrifice by clergy and Romanian Orthodox believers, guided by His Holiness Siluan since 2008,' said the Eparchy Centre.

The meeting of the Deputies Chamber was also attended by the Romanian Ambassador to the Republic of Italy, Gabriela Dancau.

'The adoption of this agreement marks the completion of a complex legislative process and demonstrates democratic maturity, recognising the Romanian Orthodox Community's contribution to the social, cultural and spiritual life of contemporary Italy,' stated Dancau.

'This also reaffirms the special relationship between Romania and Italy, based on trust, common values and shared responsibility for the European future we are building together,' the Romanian Ambassador to Italy added.

The draft law will be further submitted to the Senate of the Republic of Italy for a vote, after which the legislative procedure will be complete and the new legal framework will enter into force.

The Chamber of Deputies' adoption of the agreement represents an 'essential' step in strengthening the legal status of the Romanian Orthodox Eparchy of Italy and in recognising the significant contribution of the Romanian community, the largest foreign community on the peninsula, to Italian society, the Romanian Embassy in Italy emphasised.

According to doxologia.ro, the Romanian Orthodox Church of Italy became an official religious denomination in the country following the signing, a year ago, of a historic agreement between Alfredo Mantovano, Undersecretary of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and His Beatitude Siluan, with the related draft law subsequently presented to the Parliament for approval.

The agreement reaffirms the principles of religious freedom enshrined in the Italian Constitution and guarantees the Romanian Orthodox Eparchy of Italy full autonomy in its internal organisation, including the appointment of clergy and the management of spiritual and disciplinary matters.

Key provisions of the agreement include: recognition of the civil effects of marriages officiated by priests of the Romanian Orthodox Eparchy of Italy, provided they are Italian citizens and the marriages are registered in the civil records; the right to religious education outside school hours, at the request of pupils, their families, or educational institutions, with costs covered by the Romanian Orthodox Eparchy of Italy; recognition of the legal personality of entities belonging to the Eparchy, including those involved in educational, social, and charitable activities; and access to public funding through inclusion in the system allocating the eight per thousand share of income tax (IRPEF) to support religious and social activities.

The official recognition process began in 2013 but faced interruptions due to political instability in Italy and was resumed in 2016.

Founded in 2008, the Romanian Orthodox Eparchy of Italy currently comprises 478 pastoral-missionary units, of which 285 are parishes. Through this agreement, nearly one million Romanian Orthodox believers in Italy gain strengthened legal and spiritual representation, marking an important step in the integration of the Romanian community into Italian society, doxologia.ro notes. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniel Popescu; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)