At a time when educational issues have increasingly come to determine the social and political discourse and major reforms of the education system are being discussed and implemented, and when migration has become a significant phenomenon, contributing to changes in the religious landscape of the European continent, it is highly appropriate to focus our attention on the concrete situation regarding religious education (RE) in Southern Europe. Beyond the all-important tasks of taking stock and making international comparisons, the aim of this book, that is the final volume of the series "Religious Education at Schools in Europe", is to create a foundation for further action in the field of education, especially with regard to interfaith expertise.

Prof Dr Dorothea Rechenmacher is full professor for Religious Education and Catechetics at the Philosophical-Theological Academy Brixen, Italy.