New idols: Catholicism in the face of Fascist totalitarianism

This article explores the attitudes of the Vatican and Catholic culture towards Fascism and Fascism's political religion during the pontificate of Pius XI, in the context of the Catholic church's rejection of modernity as a new epoch of paganism that took the form of political mysticism. I...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of modern Italian studies 2006-06, Vol.11 (2), p.143-170
Main Author: Gentile, Emilio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
antifascism
Catholicism
Church and state
Fascism
Idols
Italy
Modern society
neo-paganism
Paganism
Political history
Political ideology
political religion
Religion and politics
Totalitarianism
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Summary:This article explores the attitudes of the Vatican and Catholic culture towards Fascism and Fascism's political religion during the pontificate of Pius XI, in the context of the Catholic church's rejection of modernity as a new epoch of paganism that took the form of political mysticism. It shows that despite the Concordat of 1929, the papacy reacted with growing alarm to the Fascist regime's 'sacralization of politics' that threatened to make Catholic religion a handmaid of the totalitarian state.
ISSN:1354-571X
1469-9583
DOI:10.1080/13545710600658479