Last April 26th Berliners voted ‘no’ in a referendum that proposed to make religious instruction compulsory in schools, like the courses on ethics introduced in 2006. The majority of European countries provide religious instruction, but in twelve of them it is multi-religious. Is it possible for respect of secularism and the need to know the history and values of religions – that in recent decades have returned to dominate the public sphere – to coexist?