Church state relations Flashcards
What had the first party programme called for in 1919?
The confiscation of church property
What did the PNF declare about Catholicism in its new programme?
That catholicism could be used as a political force to drive Italian unity and nationalism
What did Mussolini say in 1921?
He publicly said that “Fascism neither preaches nor practices anti-clericalism… the only universal values that radiate from Rome are those of the Vatican”
Whose death helped M move closer to the church?
The death of Benedict XV as his successor, Pope Pius XI was predominantly concerned with the communist threat in Italy; he saw fascism as the antidote to the menace from the left and was happy to support M as PM
What policies of appeasement did M enact upon becoming PM in 1922?
-reintroduced religious education in schools
-restored crucifixes in public buildings
How else did Mussolini help the Vatican early on?
The Vatican had a huge stake in the bank of Rome, which was on the verge of bankruptcy and Mussolini helped to save the bank from going into liquidation in Jan 1923
What did M ban early on to appease the catholics?
Free masonry and anti-clerical journals
He also dropped proposed policies on taxing church property
How did M personally demonstrate his willingness to pursue church state relations early on?
He baptised his 3 children into the Catholic Church and married his wife in a church ceremony
How did M attempt to incorporate the Church into government early on?
By appointing PPI member, Stefano Cavazzoni as minister of labour in his first cabinet in 1922, thus urging the PPI to accept a coalition with the catholics
What was the effect of M’s early policies of appeasement?
All of M’s measures helped to undermine the PPI as the pope swung his support behind the PNF rather than his own party. Likewise Pope Pius ordered the PPI leader, Sturzo, to resign in July 1923
When were the Lateran pacts signed?
11 February 1929
What was the effect of the LP’s?
They officially ended the conflict between the church and state that had existed since 1871, thus solving the ‘Roman Question’
What were the key aspects of the treaty regarding territory?
-The pope agreed to recognise the Italian state & its possession of Rome and the old papal States. In return, the state recognised the popes control over the Vatican City.
How much financial compensation did the pope receive due to the signing of the LP’s?
£30 million for surrendering his claim to Rome
What did the LP say about catholicism?
It was to be recognised as the sole religion of Italy- privileges like religious education, of a catholic nature, would be compulsory in all state schools
What did the LP say about catholic youth groups?
They would be allowed to continue as long as they didn’t carry out any political activity. Catholic Action was the only non-fascist organisation allowed to continue
What did the LP’s say about divorce?
There would be no divorce without the consent of the church
What were the positive ramifications of the LP’s?
-The problems that existed between the state and the church appeared to be mitigated
-The Catholic Church saw it as a success as they had extended their role and influence throughout Italian life; eg led to a religious revival with number of catholic marriages and schools increased
-M extended his personal prestige at home and abroad as he had solved the ‘Roman Question’
What can be used to counter-argue the significance of the Lateran pacts?
They represented a kind of unsaid power-sharing agreement between the PNF and the Church that suited both institutions, thus elucidating the limits of M’s dictatorship
What enactment of foreign policy did the church openly support?
M’s invasion of Abyssinia in 1935
When did M visit the pope? What did they discuss?
Feb 1932
M visited the pope whereby they both confirmed their mutual views on societal and gender values, and foreign policy towards the Soviet Union and communism
What evidence is there that the Church openly endorsed the Fascist regime?
It promised that it would mobilise support for the Fascists in a plebiscite called by Mussolini in 1929- Catholic Action appealed to voters to vote ‘yes’
What did the church sponsor? Why was this contentious?
Catholic action; this provided a rival to Fascisms own youth and leisure organisations ( high membership )
Given Fascisms totalitarian aims this was troubling to Mussolini
How many members did Catholic action have?
250,000
What notion concerned the catholic church?
The idea of being completely loyal to the state- this didn’t leave room for an individual to also be a catholic
What evidence is there that Catholic youth organisations grew in popularity?
By 1939 they had 388,000 members
What was published that exacerbated church-state tensions?
Non Abbiamo Bisogno; a roman catholic encyclical published in 1931 that condemned the “pagan worship of the state” & a “revolution which snatches the young from the church”
What evidence is there of resistance to fascism’s totalitarian claims to control every aspect of life?
Radio Vatican which broadcasted alternative views and information
What was the Non Abbiamo Bisogno a response to?
An attempt by M in 1931 to close down catholic action, and although a compromise was reached (Catholic action youth groups could stay as long as they didn’t organise sport), both sides remained less trusting
What feature of Fascist youth groups did the church condemn (other than total subservience to the state)?
Girls involvement in physical activities- the church were worried that this defied gender roles
The Fascist attitude to prostitution was also condemned
When did church-state relations effectively witness a demise?
The anti-semitic decrees of 1938. By 1938 the PNF defined judaism in biological terms which prohibited intermarriage with pure Italians- This defied the catholic churches right to allow jews to convert to catholicism
Pope Pius XI condemned the decrees
What did the concordat, included in the LP’s that were signed, say?
That church structures would remain separate and independent
