Page 373 - Stati inu obstati, revija za vprašanja protestantizma, letnik VII (2011), številka 13-14, ISSN 1408-8363
P. 373
SYNOPSES, ZUSAMMENFASSUNGEN
vernacular, evangelical ethics and a poor Church. They followed Catholic doc-
trines which were in harmony with the Bible, e.g. they did not acknowledge
Purgatory, and they worshipped only God and Christ. At the Synod in Chan-
foran in 1532 they decided to join the Reformation; partly they approached
Calvinist doctrines. The Waldensians in Piedmont succeeded in avoiding the
blows of the Counter-Reformation and the later pressure of re-Catholicization.
In 1848 they gained citizenship rights, while the period after the unification of
Italy in 1861 was for them a time of spiritual renewal and becoming rooted in
Italian society. They developed education, founded the Claudiana publishing
house in Turin and a Reformation Theology Faculty; in their theology they
followed Barth’s initiatives and developed original Italian contributions. Within
the framework of ecumenism they maintained cooperation with Protestant
confessions. Emigrants in Uruguay and Argentina founded churches there
linked with Italian Waldensians into two Synods. After the First World War,
Waldensians also settled in Trieste.
Their statement of faith, based on the document of 1662, along with a the-
ology open to dialogue and never given to harsh dogmatic discussions, shook
off rigid views but always placed the Bible and evangelical ethics in the centre.
In their Sunday services, the sermon and Holy Communion have a central role.
In 1962 they decided on having women priests. In 1975 the Waldensian and
Methodist Churches in Italy united, yet respecting differences in their tradi-
tions and pastoral experiences. Relations with the Roman Catholic Church
have improved since the Second Vatican Council.
UDC 273/.6"15"
Tomaž Jurca
Duke Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy and the Waldensians of Piedmont:
»Il patto di Cavour 1561« as the first document of religious tolerance
in modern Europe
The unique story of the Waldensians of Piedmont certainly represents more
than just a footnote in the long chapter of the Italian and European Reforma-
tion. The Treaty of Cavour, stipulated between the mentioned religious minor-
ity and the Duke of Savoy, Emanuele Filiberto, in 1561 is on the one hand a
symbol of the long struggle for recognition of their Church and on the other
the first act of religious tolerance in early modern Europe. The Waldensians of
Piedmont were also the first Protestant community that organized an armed
rebellion against the secular authority and justified the use of force with valid
political and theological arguments. These arguments, although not always in
accordance with the teachings of Luther and Calvin, were later used in almost
371
vernacular, evangelical ethics and a poor Church. They followed Catholic doc-
trines which were in harmony with the Bible, e.g. they did not acknowledge
Purgatory, and they worshipped only God and Christ. At the Synod in Chan-
foran in 1532 they decided to join the Reformation; partly they approached
Calvinist doctrines. The Waldensians in Piedmont succeeded in avoiding the
blows of the Counter-Reformation and the later pressure of re-Catholicization.
In 1848 they gained citizenship rights, while the period after the unification of
Italy in 1861 was for them a time of spiritual renewal and becoming rooted in
Italian society. They developed education, founded the Claudiana publishing
house in Turin and a Reformation Theology Faculty; in their theology they
followed Barth’s initiatives and developed original Italian contributions. Within
the framework of ecumenism they maintained cooperation with Protestant
confessions. Emigrants in Uruguay and Argentina founded churches there
linked with Italian Waldensians into two Synods. After the First World War,
Waldensians also settled in Trieste.
Their statement of faith, based on the document of 1662, along with a the-
ology open to dialogue and never given to harsh dogmatic discussions, shook
off rigid views but always placed the Bible and evangelical ethics in the centre.
In their Sunday services, the sermon and Holy Communion have a central role.
In 1962 they decided on having women priests. In 1975 the Waldensian and
Methodist Churches in Italy united, yet respecting differences in their tradi-
tions and pastoral experiences. Relations with the Roman Catholic Church
have improved since the Second Vatican Council.
UDC 273/.6"15"
Tomaž Jurca
Duke Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy and the Waldensians of Piedmont:
»Il patto di Cavour 1561« as the first document of religious tolerance
in modern Europe
The unique story of the Waldensians of Piedmont certainly represents more
than just a footnote in the long chapter of the Italian and European Reforma-
tion. The Treaty of Cavour, stipulated between the mentioned religious minor-
ity and the Duke of Savoy, Emanuele Filiberto, in 1561 is on the one hand a
symbol of the long struggle for recognition of their Church and on the other
the first act of religious tolerance in early modern Europe. The Waldensians of
Piedmont were also the first Protestant community that organized an armed
rebellion against the secular authority and justified the use of force with valid
political and theological arguments. These arguments, although not always in
accordance with the teachings of Luther and Calvin, were later used in almost
371
