I agree this may be true today, but the example I have cited come from the 60s and the 70s. For contex, divorce became allowed in 1970 (a 1974 referendum unsucc

I agree this may be true today, but the example I have cited come from the 60s and the 70s. For contex, divorce became allowed in 1970 (a 1974 referendum unsuccessfully tried to repeal that law); abortion was a crime until 1978 (again, a 1981 referendum failed to repeal the law). Same-sex unions have only been introduced in 2016. So, even though religious sentiment may be weak, the Italian cultural and political landscape is hugely influenced by the views of the Church. As an aside, reading the Bible has never been a strong part of Catholic religiousness anyway, due to the fact that biblical exegesis has been historically (ie. until Vatican II) reserved to the clergy. There are indeed other forms of devotion, like the rosary or the liturgy of the Hours, which are more or less frowned upon by more "secular" people.