Italy is "proud of its Christian roots", foreign minister Antonio Tajani tweeted Wednesday after reports that the Fiesole-based European University Institute plans to rename Christmas 'Winter Festivities'.
"I am surprised by the decision taken by the president of the European University Institute in Fiesole (a town outside Florence) to change the name of Christmas," Tajani wrote on X.
"We are proud of our Christian roots upon which Europe is based," added the tweet.
Criticism by Tajani and other conservative Italian politicians of the European University Institute's planned name change for Christmas came after a report by the Sir religious news agency.
Sir cited EUI sources as saying its president, Renaud Lahousse, intends to introduce the term 'Winter Festivities' in a nod to the European Union funded think-tank's ethnic and racial equality guidelines.
