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
