Advances in religious liberty have often emerged out of a struggle against intolerance. Such was the case in Italy, where the Church and its members waged a successful 20-year campaign that ultimately brought about a true victory for religious pluralism.

The entire episode amounted to a prolonged assault on religious rights, one that no impartial court in a democratic country could sustain. And so it proved. It took two appeals to the Italian Supreme Court for the Church and its members to prevail. In October 1997, the Court issued a final ruling that set a new standard for religious freedom in Italy. The Church of Scientology’s activities, the Court held, “without exception, [are] characteristic of all religious movements.” With that, the Court revised a lower court decision that had restrictively defined religion in a Judeo-Christian context only. The renowned sociologist of religion, J. Gordon Melton, has described the ruling as “one of the most important discussions to date — and on an international scale — of how courts may apply existing laws apparently requiring them to decide if a specific group is, or is not, a religion.”

Once again, Scientologists’ dedication to their religion in the face of adversity had culminated in a precedent that now protects the rights of all faiths.