THE RELIGION CLASS

2026-07-13

Catholic Religious Education (IRC) — or more broadly, education on the religious phenomenon in contemporary schools — is currently undergoing a profound phase of redefinition. While on one hand the classroom reflects the increasing complexity and fragmentation of society, on the other hand, the very nature of this discipline is faced with unprecedented questions.

Behind the institutional transformations of religious education lies a radical philosophical question: what status should be recognized today for the relationship between human nature and the religious phenomenon? Having moved beyond the idea of a linear secularization, we must now grapple with the persistence — or return — of existential, ethical, and metaphysical questions that directly challenge today's youth and, more generally, the structure of the contemporary subject.

Teaching the religious phenomenon thus raises a crucial challenge: is it possible to educate toward these fundamental questions without slipping into mere confessionalism? How can schools welcome the individual's search for meaning within a pluralistic, fragmented, and often disoriented horizon?

This monographic issue intends to explore the current status, practices, and pedagogical developments of the "religion class," offering a multidisciplinary space for reflection (pedagogical, sociological, theological, legal, and psychological) around several crucial nodes.

Main Thematic Axes Contributions may focus on, but are not limited to, the following lines of research:

  • Philosophical Anthropology andHomo Religiosus: What is the profound link between the structure of human nature and openness to the sacred or the search for meaning? We invite contributions that investigate the religion class as a space for expressing those existential and metaphysical questions that constitutively belong to the subject, beyond the barriers of confessionalism.
  • The Meaning of the Religion Class in Post-Secular Society:What is the educational mandate of Catholic Religious Education (IRC) today? Positioned between religious culture, ethical literacy, and secular impulses, this axis questions the anthropological value of a continuously evolving discipline.
  • The Plural and Multi-religious Classroom:The increasingly structural presence of students belonging to different faiths, different cultures, or non-believing backgrounds transforms the religion classroom into a laboratory for intercultural dialogue. What methodologies should be adopted? How can the identity/alterity binomial be managed?
  • From the Chair to Listening: The Teacher as "Confidant" and Psychosocial Support:We are increasingly witnessing an anthropological mutation of the figure of the religion teacher, who is often perceived by students (and sometimes by the institution) as a sort of "parapsychologist," a secular confessor, or an emotional reference point. What are the boundaries between empathetic-educational listening, the helping relationship, and the risk of improper psychotherapeutic encroachment?
  • The Choice to Opt-In (and Opt-Out):Sociological and statistical analysis of enrollment trends in Catholic Religious Education, with particular attention to the motivations of secondary school students and the management of alternative activities.
  • Teacher Status and Recruitment:Dynamics related to public competitions, agreements with ecclesiastical authorities (the diocesan suitability/imprimatur), and the positioning of teachers within the class council (consiglio di classe).

Guidelines for Submission Proposed articles must be original and not simultaneously submitted to other journals. Contributions will undergo a double-blind peer review procedure.

  • Abstract:Maximum 500 words (in Italian and English), accompanied by 5 keywords and a brief author biography.
  • Final Essay Length:Maximum 40,000 characters (including spaces).

Deadline: October 31th, 2026