Labour MP Alfred Sant yesterday asked whether the government had any reaction to a judgement by the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled that Italian schools should remove crucifixes from classrooms because they could disturb children who were not Christians.
Dr Sant was ruled out of order by Carmelo Abela who was in the Chair at the time, who quoted previous rulings by the Speaker that supplementary questions had to relate to the original question.
Legal sources say a decision by the Court of Human Rights is generally binding on the respondent state but other member states retain a political discretion as to whether to get in line with the court's judgment. However, there is no legal obligation for other member states to do so, even if the judgment of the court will, when it becomes final, be a precedent that may be claimed by any person against any state that is a member of the Council of Europe.
The court's decision sparked uproar in Italy, prompting former Culture Minister Rocco Buttiglione to say that this was "an abhorrent ruling" that must be rejected with firmness. He said Italy had its culture, its traditions and its history. "Those who come among us must understand and accept this culture and this history," he said.
A Vatican spokesman said he would not comment until he knew more about the ruling but Italy's powerful bishops' conference said the ruling "evokes sadness and bewilderment".
Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said the court had dealt a "mortal blow to a Europe of values and rights," adding that it was a bad precedent for other countries.
Members of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government bristled, weighing in with words such as "shameful", "offensive", "absurd," "unacceptable" and "pagan".
Archbishop Paul Cremona said that, should this situation arise in Malta one day, it would be the duty of Maltese Christians to insist that the crucifix should retain its place in public areas.
A spokesman for the Curia said it was still early to comment on the decision as the judgment could be appealed.
The case was brought by an Italian national, Soile Lautsi, who complained that her children had to attend a public school in northern Italy that had crucifixes in every room.
In defence, Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini said crucifixes on the walls of tens of thousands of classrooms "do not mean adherence to Catholicism" but are a symbol of Italy's heritage. "The history of Italy is marked by symbols and if we erase symbols we erase part of ourselves," she said.
Ms Lautsi said crucifixes on walls ran counter to her right to give her children a secular education and the Strasbourg-based court ruled in her favour. "The presence of the crucifix... could be encouraging for religious pupils but also disturbing for pupils who practised other religions or were atheists, particularly if they belonged to religious minorities," the court said in a written ruling.
"The state (must) refrain from imposing beliefs in premises where individuals were dependent on it," it added, saying the aim of public education was "to foster critical thinking".