Mussolini and the Church Flashcards
Originally, what was the Mussolini’s opinion about the Church and give examples to show this
- Largely anti-clerical
- Published several articles and book (The Cardinal’s Mistress) portraying Church as a place of hypocrisy, violence and sexual activity
- Fascist Programme of 1919 called for confiscation of Church property
What furthered Mussolini’s anger towards the Church?
Pope Benedict XV attempted to end WW1 through Peace Note of 1917, which he believed was defeatist
Why did Mussolini drop his anticlericalism?
Being anticlerical would not help him out in a largely Catholic country like Italy
Particularly which group within the fascists were angered by this change in attitude?
Futurists
When did Benedict XV die, who replaced him and what was his main concern?
- Pope Pius XI
- Jan 1922
- Concerned about communist threat and believed only a gov of ‘National Concentration’ could save them from it
What policies did Mussolini introduce that were favourable to the Church?
- Crucifixes restored to public buildings
- Clergy salaries increased + exempted from tax
- 3 mil granted to restoration of damaged churches
- Religious education returned in elementary schools
- Jan 1923 –> Mussolini authorised release of extensive state funding to save Bank of Rome, as it was in danger of collapse and Vatican had a substantial stake in it
- Milan’s RC uni, the Uni of the Sacred Heart, given official recognition
- Freemasonry and anticlerical journals banned
- Dropped proposed liberal policies on taxing church property
- Tightened laws relating to divorce
- Penalties introduced for adultery
- Swearing in public made an offence
Freemasonry and why Catholics disagree w/ it:
- Worldwide organisation of secretive clubs
- New members initiated through secret rituals
- The secret rituals asked new members to assert their belief in a ‘Supreme Being’, which was against Catholic teachings
What did Mussolini personally do to show his commitment to the Church?
- Married wife in church ceremony
- Baptised 3 children
How did this relationship w/ RCC help Mussolini?
- Pope Pius XI put support behind PNF, which helped undermine PPI
- Oct 1923 –> Pope ordered PPI leader Luigi Sturzo to resign and called on party to support PNF
- Supported Mussolini strongly throughout Matteotti crisis
After how many years of negotiations were the Lateran Pacts formed, what did it incorporate and on what day was it formed?
- 11 Feb 1929
- 3 years of negotiations
- Included treaty, financial convention and Concordat
Concordat:
Agreement between RCC and gov, setting out rights of Catholic Church
What were the key aspects of the Lateran Pacts?
Treaty:
- Vatican City established as sovereign state of 44 hectares of land w/ Pope as head of state
- Catholicism recognised as sole religion of Italy
Financial convention:
- Compensation for Roman Question –> received 750 mil lira and 1 bil in state bonds
Concordat:
- Religious education compulsory in secondary state schools as well
- Church marriages given legal validity
- Catholic Action allowed to continue as long as there were no political activities
- RCC had right to censorship over books, newspapers and films
How many members did Catholic Action have and why was the fact that they were allowed to exist significant?
- Over 1 mil
- Only non-fascist organisation that was allowed
How were the Lateran Pacts a great success for Mussolini and RCC?
- Gained admiration of people
- More prestige overseas
- Religious revival as numbers of Catholic marriages and schools increased
What did Mussolini introduce in 1928 and why?
- Introduced new electoral law establishing a plebiscite would be held no later than Apr 1929
- Allowed Mussolini to claim broad consensus for his rule as Italians only had to approve/reject list of candidates given by PNF
What changes occurred that showed cooperation between RCC and fascists?
- Catholic priests participated in ONB
- Slogan ‘For Pope and Duce’ emphasised unity of Church and state
- Priests and PNF officials worked together to campaign against decadent films and short skirts
What other policies did RCC and fascists agree upon?
- Mussolini’s support for General Franco during Spanish Civil War in 1930s
- Pope was seriously threatened by socialism and so backed this
What did Catholic Action and the Pope do to show support for the fascists in the plebiscite, when was this and what was the plebiscite about?
- Officially appealed to voters to vote yes as it would help approve the Concordat
- Held on 12 Mar 1929
- Asking whether the people supported Lateran Pacts and list of candidates put forward by Fascist Grand Council
How many participated in the plebiscite (% of electorate?) and what percentage approved?
- 8.6 mil, which was 90% of electorate
- 98%
In what other plebiscite was this Catholic support repeated and what was it on?
- 1934 plebiscite
- Asked whether Italians agreed w/ new list of fascist candidates
How did Mussolini use plebiscites and why were they not a truthful reflection of the public’s opinion?
- Used to show he had consent of Italians
- The state was so strictly controlled their votes were never free or fair
However some priests did not approve of this relationship and what shows this?
In 1930, 300 priests supported a protest letter condemning Archbishop of Milan for openly supporting regime
Where was the main area of confrontation between RCC and Mussolini and why was it a problem for Mussolini?
- Catholic Action’s youth organisations
- They had around 250,000 members in 1930
What change in the leadership of PNF elevated tensions and why?
- Giovanni Giurati became Party Secretary
- Oct 1930 –> Carlo Scorza given responsibility for dfascist youth orgnisations
- Much more hardline towards Catholic Action than their predecessors
What did these two accuse Catholic Action of doing and what action did they take against them?
- Organising sport (prohibited under Concordat)
- Being led by former PPI members
- Acting as a sanctuary for antifascist policies
- Attempting to form TUs
Action: - Police raids and violence against them
- Officially shut down by state
How did the Pope respond to this action?
Attacked fascism and stated ‘we have no need’ in papal newspaper L’Osservatore Romano
By summer 1931, what deal did the Pope and Mussolini come to?
- Catholic Action youth grps reinstated
- Must not persecute Catholic schools
- Must not interfere w/ Uni of Sacred Heart or Federation of Catholic Uni Students
However:
-Not allowed to organise sporting activities - Confine themselves from strictly religious recreational and educational aspects
- Former members of PPI not allowed to be youth leaders
How did Catholic youth associations grow through the 1930s?
Grew to 388,000 members by 1939
What values did RCC and the fascists share?
- Discipline
- Importance of fam and marriage
- Women as mothers
State the different minor conflicts between RCC and Mussolini:
- RCC: girls should not be involved in physical activities as it did not properly prepare them for maternity, Mussolini: they should
- RCC: condemned prostitution, Mussolini: natural part of young male culture
What was a more serious conflict that arose between them in 1938?
- Fascists prohibited Jews to intermarry w/ pure Italians
- Conflicted w/ Concordat and authority of RCC that Jews could convert to Catholicism through marriage
- Pope was against this and commissioned a letter against racism (also condemned Kristallnacht)
Despite disagreeing w/ antisemitic policies, why was the Pope unable to do anything?
- Many RCC members held antisemitic views
- Leading fascists were quick to emphasise previous times where RCC had supported these policies
- Key advisers of Pope viewed Jews to be part of an alliance between socialists and freemasons which threatened RCC
When did Pope Pius XI die, who replaced him and what was this man’s official stance on antisemitic policy?
- 1939
- Pius XII
- Neutral
