More than 150 years since the first Italian Latter-day Saints were baptized, and after decades-long efforts and negotiations, the Italian government has granted The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) official status as a church and “partner of the state.” As Maurizio Ventura, president of the Pisa congregation, explained, “The intesa is a fulfillment of a long-awaited blessing.” This legal status gives the Church greater freedom to do more good, both as a church and as a social institution.
