Education officials here have expressed dismay at an EU ruling banning crucifixes in schools.

A review of the use of religious symbols in state-run schools across the continent could now take place following the court decision.

In a controversial ruling, the European Court of Human Rights said the display of crucifixes in Italian public schools violates religious and education freedoms.

Authorities have been ordered to pay a $7,390 fine to a mother in northern Italy who fought for eight years to have crucifixes removed from public school classrooms. The Italian government said it would appeal.

The Vocational Education Committee in Ireland has already expressed dismay at the ruling.

Michael Moriarty, the general secretary of the Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA), said it would be taking things to a ridiculous level if "logos, emblems or whatever else" couldn't be displayed.

Vatican spokesman, the Rev Federico Lombardi, said the crucifix was a fundamental sign of the importance of religious values in Italian history and culture.

He argued it was a symbol of unity and welcoming for all of humanity -- not one of exclusion.

Mr Lombardi said a European court had no right intervening in such a profoundly Italian matter, adding: "It seems as if the court wanted to ignore the role of Christianity in forming Europe's identity, which was and remains essential."

Myopic

He said: "Religion gives a precious contribution to the formation and moral growth of people, and it's an essential component in our civilization. It's wrong and myopic to try to exclude it from education."

The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights said the crucifix could be disturbing to non-Christian or atheist pupils. The court said state-run schools must "observe confessional neutrality in the context of public education", where attendance is compulsory.

However, the seven-judge panel stopped short of ordering Italy to remove the crucifixes from public school classrooms.

The ruling can still be appealed to the European Court of Human Rights' Grand Chamber. The case was brought by Soile Lautsi, a mother of two who claimed public schools in her northern Italian town refused eight years ago to remove the Roman Catholic symbols from classrooms.

comurphy@herald.ie

- Cormac Murphy