Italian Religion

Religion is central to Italian culture. Since the beginning of Rome, ancient heathen gods were of great importance to the people. With the Emperor Constantine, who converted to Christianity in 312 AD, Rome began to change until soon after it became the Christian center of the world. The pope resides in the Vatican (its own city-state, but located in the center of Rome) and the Christian Democratic party is the majority political party. For many Christians, Rome has become a type of Mecca.