Posted by dylan on Wednesday, May 17, 2017 in 2017 Blog post.

On Tuesday, we took a tour of Cefalù on foot. At one point, we entered the cathedral that lies on Piazza Duomo after discussing its history. It’s a Catholic church, typical of Italy. The inside of the building was quite different from a typical American church (or at least the churches I’ve seen, which are all Protestant); the chancel area at the front of the church was very ornate, with marble and statues everywhere. There are more statues farther back along the sides, and modern stained glass windows depict stories from scripture. The building itself felt somewhat sparse regardless of the decorations, with wide expanses of stone that gave it a very hollow feel. This is contrasted with most American churches, which generally seem to attempt a more warm atmosphere; even among the more serious churches, there’s still an ornateness that makes them somewhat more attractive than the Duomo di Cefalù.

Since America was settled by Protestants, it is primarily composed of them, which can sometimes lead to some clashes against the other major branch of Christianity; in the late 19th century, Catholic immigrants (especially those from Ireland) were seen as unreliable, barbaric drunkards. While now there isn’t overt hatred of Catholicism, it’s still about half as common as Protestantism is, and is often somewhat forgotten. In Italy, however, Catholicism has a deep history, and it has played an important role in Italian culture. Italy was the birthplace of Catholicism, and it has never left. Nearly 80% of Italians are Catholic, though only a third of them are active members. While I wasn’t able to attend the Mass here in Cefalù to see firsthand the differences between the Catholics here and the Protestants in America, it was clear that there are significant differences between the way religion is conducted here and the way it’s done in America, and it’s something I hope to continue to observe; my initial judgement from the building itself may be proven wrong in the future.