The naturalisation of a Moroccan woman in Italy took an unexpected turn in Cadoneghe, in the province of Padua. On 21 September, a woman of Moroccan origin was due to take the oath to finalise her path to Italian citizenship. The mayor, Marco Schiesaro, however, suspended the ceremony after noting, according to his own account, significant difficulties in understanding and speaking Italian.
Yet the applicant had a complete administrative file, including a certificate attesting to a B1 level in Italian. The Prefecture of Padua must now carry out checks before the procedure can resume.
Naturalisation of a Moroccan woman in Italy: ceremony cut short
The ceremony took place on Monday 21 September at Cadoneghe town hall. Four women were scheduled to take the oath required at the end of their citizenship process.
Three of them, originally from Iran, Moldova and Brazil, completed the procedure. For the Moroccan applicant, the situation unfolded differently.
According to the mayor, she was unable to answer simple questions in Italian. He also says she struggled to read the oath record on her own.
A man accompanying her, described in Italian media reports as her husband, then allegedly tried to answer on her behalf. The mayor refused this intervention and halted the oath.
A B1 language certificate included in the file
The case raises a central question: how could an applicant holding a B1 language certificate reach the oath ceremony with such linguistic difficulties?
The mayor states that all documents were in order, including the B1 certificate. According to La Repubblica, this certificate was obtained almost ten years ago.
B1 is the language level required under Italian legislation for the acquisition of citizenship in relevant cases.
However, the mayor says he observed a significant gap between the level indicated in the file and the language skills displayed during the ceremony.
The prefecture must now review this situation.
The mayor suspends the oath and refers the case to the prefecture
Marco Schiesaro says he requested additional checks instead of continuing the ceremony.
The file has now been sent back to the Prefecture of Padua, which must review the documents already submitted, in particular the certificate attesting to the applicant’s knowledge of Italian.
This point is essential. At this stage, the citizenship process has not been definitively cancelled. The procedure is suspended pending the outcome of the checks.
The mayor also says he has been in contact with the prefecture to determine the next steps for the case.
A case sparking debate in Italy
The issue quickly spread beyond the walls of Cadoneghe town hall.
The mayor’s account has prompted many reactions on social media. Some users support his decision and believe that language skills must match the required level. Others question the scope and timing of the checks carried out at the oath stage.
The Democratic Party (PD) of Cadoneghe has also criticised the way the ceremony was interrupted. According to Corriere del Veneto, the party argues that the applicant had already passed the different administrative stages and is asking, in particular, what integration measures the municipality had put in place.
Language at the heart of naturalisation in Italy
This naturalisation of a Moroccan woman in Italy mainly highlights the possible gap between a language certificate obtained several years earlier and the actual daily use of the language.
A person may reach a certain language level at one point and then lose part of their fluency over time. Conversely, a stressful situation can temporarily affect someone’s ability to respond during an official ceremony.
In the Cadoneghe case, however, none of these hypotheses allows any firm conclusion to be drawn about the applicant’s situation. The prefecture still has to examine the file.
A procedure still on hold
The ceremony therefore did not allow the Moroccan applicant to complete her naturalisation process.
The mayor is standing by his request for checks. The Prefecture of Padua must now assess the elements in the file and decide how the procedure should move forward.
The case remains open. For this woman, who has been living in Italy for around fifteen years, her move towards Italian citizenship now depends on the outcome of these verifications.
External sources:
- La Repubblica – report on the Cadoneghe case
- RaiNews – coverage of the suspended procedure in Cadoneghe
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