February 17 New Day of Religious Liberty in Piedmont

Starting in 2027, Piedmont will officially celebrate the Regional Day of Memory of the 1848 Regal Patents on February 17. On February 24, the regional council unanimously approved a law adding the date marking the beginning of civil emancipation for both Waldensians and Jews to the civil calendar. Dario Disegni, president of the Jewish Community of Turin, and Sergio Velluto, president of the Consistory of the Waldensian Evangelical Church of Turin, praised the initiative.

On February 17, 1848, King Charles Albert of Sardinia signed the Regal Letters, which granted civil and political rights, as well as access to schools, to the Waldensian Evangelicals in Piedmont. Similar rights were extended to the Jewish community on March 29. This proclamation marked the end of centuries of discrimination and persecution and put the region at the forefront of the fight for religious liberty in Italy before unification. The new law requires the Region to carry out educational and informative projects, especially for youth, on the anniversary of this milestone. Sites related to this historical event are also to be preserved. Disegni and Velluto emphasized that February 17 should be more than just a celebration. Rather, it should be “a motivation to defend religious liberty in our country in a context of the secularization of the state, as well as peaceful coexistence and collaboration among the various religions that represent the richness of our society.”