Author:

Abstract:

This work deals with the history of the idea of international community in the discourse of Catholic culture, with a particular focus on the phase marked by Paul’s papacy (1963-1978), and on the Italian context. By the locution “idea of international community” I refer to the reflection upon the criteria that should guide the relations between peoples, organized in political communities, at global level. This kind of reflection went through a significant evolution in the period under consideration, which has been generally regarded by protagonists and historians as a time of profound cultural changes, especially in the Western world. In the first chapter we will describe two main categories – “Universalism” and “Liberation” –, drawn from historical research, which will serve as a compass to guide us through the landscape of Catholic culture, shaped by the contribution of the Magisterium (the entire set of Teachings issued by the ecclesiastical authority), theologians and intellectuals. We will argue that the idea of international community mirrors the general approach of Catholicism towards modernity, i.e. the process of functional differentiation, started in Europe in the eighteenth century, by which different areas of life – at political, social, cultural level – were freed from religious domination. “Traditional Universalism” references the traditional aversion to modernity developed by most of Catholic culture after the French revolution, while “New Universalism” and “culture of Liberation” highlight the emergence of different views, more appeasing or even openly radical. The cultural revolution of the 1960s and the Second Vatican Council stand out as key moments to understand this eventful era. In the second and third chapter we will delve into the Italian scenario, investigating through the macro-categories described in Chapter I, the discourse of a series of actors, pertaining to different areas – politics, social movements, ecclesial movements, intellectuals –, but all connected to the Catholic culture. We will start from the realm of politics, by asking whether the culture of foreign policy of Italian Christian Democracy – the set of beliefs, attitudes and values which characterized its approach to international relations – can be linked to Catholic culture’s approach to the idea of international community. We will also take under consideration the actual management of Italy’s international relations, in which the Christian democratic ruling class played an influential role throughout the 1960s and the 1970s, in order to analyze the degree of consistency between ideas and their implementation. We will devote one section of the chapter to investigate the figure of Aldo Moro, the Italian statesman who developed the most significant reflection on the idea of international community. In Chapter III we will broaden the horizon, taking into account some protagonists of the Italian Catholic laity: lay associations linked to the Church (ACLI, FUCI, Pax Christi), progressive intellectuals (the Florentine group who published the periodical “Testimonianze”, and especially its leader, Father Balducci), and a new, successful ecclesial movement such as “Comunione e Liberazione”. The choice of these actors will be explained in a long introductory section: in short, they developed the most meaningful reflections on the international community. The categories introduced in the first chapter will prove useful to describe a heterogeneous, and somewhat unexpected landscape. Although we will focus on a limited temporal and geographical framework, the entire analysis will be contextualized in a broader historical and comparative frame (mostly limited to Europe, but with an eye to Latin America as well). On the one hand, we will pay attention both to continuities and discontinuities with the tradition, and to outlining future developments. On the other hand, we will draw a comparison with what happened outside Italy, referencing in particular the discourse of international Catholic organizations and European Christian Democracy. This study should be of particular interest for non-Italian readers, given the lack of scholarly studies of the Italian case available in English.