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Catholic reformers cited pluralism and absenteeism as the chief sins of elite clergy and the cause of the church's ignorance and poverty. Reformers encouraged bishops to reside in their dioceses, educate their flocks, and investigate both theological and behavioral abuses. This line of argument ignored the practical realities that drove pluralism and absenteeism and those clergy who pursued reform mandates in their dioceses and benefices. Paris de' Grassi (ca. 1460-1528), the bishop of Pesaro, was a reforming pluralist whose expertise and ambition were financed by his work as the papal master of ceremonies in Rome. This prevented him from residing in his bishopric, but influenced his understanding of the bishop's responsibility as an educator and reformer of liturgical practice. This article shows how de' Grassi contributed intellectually as an author of liturgical guides and locally as a liturgical patron to the church of SS. Celso and Giuliano in Rome, substituting these reforming activities for a presence in his see. The notion of the reforming pluralist expands the definition of reform, as not all reformers considered their own pluralism and absenteeism to be abuse, nor did their reforms focus exclusively on the diocese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1598, the year that Duke Cesare d'Este (1562-1628) lost Ferrara to papal forces and moved the capital of his duchy to Modena, the papal Inquisition in Modena was elevated from vicariate to full inquisitorial status. Despite initial clashes with the duke, the tribunal began not only to prosecute heretics and blasphemers, but also professing Jews. Such a policy towards infidels by an organization appointed to inquire into heresy ("inquisitio haereticae pravitatis") seems unusual. How did the papal Inquisition come to assume authority and prosecute Jews in early modern Italy? Examination of trial procedure of Jews as opposed to that of Christians will help decide if there is anything distinctive about the Holy Office's treatment of Jews. It will be argued that inquisitorial tribunals were disarming the Jewish threat to Christian society, not for its own sake, but as an attempt to impose social and religious discipline on the Christian community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dispute between social versus religious interpretations of anti-Semitism pervaded the whole history of scholarly research. Whereas socio-historical interpretations had underlined the social aspects, current studies on anti-Semitism focus on religious motifs. The thesis that anti-Semitism was a result of a religious conflict, however, is far more alleged than substantially proved by the sources. So it seems necessary to go back to the sources. Therefore this paper analyzes the language of the Venetian Catholic newspaper II Veneto Cattolico/La Difesa from the foundation of the newspaper in 1867 up to the First World War. Just a few years before the term anti-Semitism was coined, Catholic journalists of Venice had created the new semantic of secular anti-Semitism. They turned back to religious issues when they tried to systematize their anti-Jewish sentiments. Thus one can observe in the coverage of the Venetian Catholic journals the invention of an anti-Semitic tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the issue of reforming the College of Cardinals as one specific aspect of the call to reform the early-modern Catholic Church that Paolo Giustiniani and Pietro Querini addressed in a Libellus to Pope Leo X in 1513. According to the two Camaldolese reformers, the failure of individuals within various ranks of the Church to pursue their duties with all due moral and legal attention was leading to decadence within the Church, resulting in decadence and a lack of justice within society as a whole. Their Libellus aimed to provide the Pope with the instruments needed for the religious and economic reform of the powerful institution of the College of Cardinals, proposed as one step towards a more comprehensive - and eventually only theoretical - plan for Church reform. Both the excesses and the potential of the Renaissance Church are at the core of Querini and Giustiniani's proposals; they argued that by resolving the former, the Church would be able to draw upon its strengths to become a more perfect instrument for bringing morality to the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the origin and development of Salesians of Don Bosco, a Catholic organization which started in Turin, Italy. It recounts the early life and struggle of St. John Bosco, the founder of Salesians. It relates the expansion of the Italian religious community in Australia and the Pacific. It discusses the partnership of Salesians with families during crisis in Sydney.

The author studies and publishes three documents from the Libri Annatarum, one of the most important sources of the Camera Apostolica, concerning the archdeaconry obtained from a young gentleman, Alessandro Sforza, future Lord of Pesaro, in Benevento in the 20's of the 15th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years scholars have attempted to reconsider the place of religion within Italian Futurism. A tendency to secularize the avant-garde has ensured that Futurism is often assumed to be in opposition to religion. This paper reassesses this notion by examining the religious dimension of the work of the Futurist artist Umberto Boccioni. In particular, it examines the mother images the artist produced during the early years of the Futurist movement. The paper argues that in Boccioni's 1912 work Matter (Materia) the maternal figures of the Virgin Mary and the Catholic Church coalesce through a process akin to what Sigmund Freud described as "condensation." During the years preceding the work's execution, Boccioni was recording the development of the Catholic Modernist Crisis in his diary. This crisis culminated in 1907 with the papal encyclical Pascendi Dominici Greg is. At this time, the Catholic Church was experiencing increasing pressure to adapt to new ways of thinking about ecclesiastical history. In this paper, Matter is reread as an investigation into the place of the Catholic Church in the modern world. In seeking to account for the religious significance of Boccioni's maternal imagery, this paper challenges the claim that the early Futurist movement was wholly anti-Christian in orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the history of the Italian Fascist government influence on Malta, in opposition to the influence of British constitutionalist sentiment during the period from 1922 to 1939, based on materials held in the Vatican Secret Archive. Topics mentioned include the influence of the Catholic Church on Maltese politics, relations between Malta, Great Britain, and Italy, and the role of language and religion in the formation of Maltese identity.

Copyright of Rivista di Storia del Cristianesimo is the property of Editrice Morcelliana S.p.A. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses the rereading of the history of Italian Unification in the 19th century by traditionalist Catholic groups in Italy during the period from 2000 to 2011. Topics discussed include the role of historians in public discourse about the past in Italy, sensationalism in the media on historical topics, and the work of historical thinkers such as Brazilian theorist Plinio Corrêa on traditionalist revisionism concerning historical topics.

»Kardinäle in der Funktion eines Premierministers, ca. 1450 - ca. 1750«. From the late 15th until the late 18th century, 15 Italian men shared a particular occupational life course, by becoming prime minister as well as cardinal to the Church of Rome. Some became prime minister after having been cardinal; others had a reversed career of becoming prime cardinal after having been prime minister. It is obvious that personal experiences will have influenced the policies they set out, especially when a prime minister had been a cardinal before. But, on the other hand, the impersonal cultural life script of being a cardinal or being a prime minister may have predominated personal inclinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article announces an upcoming 22 to 24 My 2013 international conference on the national churches in Rome, Italy, from 1450 to 1650.

Copyright of Rivista di Storia del Cristianesimo is the property of Editrice Morcelliana S.p.A. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this paper we will analyse the data from surveys carried out in Italy between 1997 and 2005 as part of the Ilfi panel. We will focus in particular on statements about frequency of churchgoing given by panel members over the years and show that they are characterized by a significant degree of inconsistency. We will show that this interesting but unexpected result can also be found in many other international panels and therefore cannot be attributed to bias resulting from the methodology adopted in the panel. Furthermore, we will see that individual inconsistency is generally not associated with paths of progressive rapprochement to or estrangement from religion and/or its practices. Instead, it is a form of «discontinuity» in frequency of churchgoing in its own right. Our analysis will then lead us to conclude that inconsistency and discontinuity are not the result of inappropriate response behavior by interviewees and that they run through the main social segments (gender, age, education and area of residence). This characteristic pattern of mass attendance, which concerns at least 50-60% of the population, does not appear to take shape as an intermediate form of religiosity between regular churchgoers and non-churchgoers. Instead, it seems to signal the existence of a different type of religiosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This essay explores the activities of the Italian consortium of S. Alessandro in Colonna in Bergamo, through an analysis and translation of the Regola (Rule) that governed it for nearly five centuries. Written in Latin in 1363-65, and republished in Italian in the late sixteenth century, the statutes and other primary source documents of this confraternity reflect the (admittedly modest) aspirations, disappointments, and achievements of one group of Bergamo's citizens as they sought to achieve the "sacred miracle" of brotherhood. The essay also compares the consortium of S. Alessandro in Colonna to other Bergamasque confraternities, especially the large and powerful Misericordia Maggiore (MIA), with a particular focus on how confraternities in Bergamo supported lay and clerical education. Specific topics include the membership, organization, and social purpose(s) of a rather ordinary confraternity, here considered both as an individual case study and as a vehicle of comparison with similar pious associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting with the earliest historiography available in the Waldensian and reformed area of the early modern age, this research aims at focusing on the aspects relative to the institutional, religious and social organization of the Waldensian communitiers which settled in Piedmont in the late Middle Ages, whence originated the formation of the so called “people-church" of which little is known. Parallel to this main aim runs the attempt to focus on the inner conflicts triggered off in the Waldensian communities by the Reformation of Helvetic-Strasbourgese strain, which spread among the Waldensians of the Piedmont valleys since the late twenties of the 16th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution focuses on the dissemination of vernacular Bible translations in late medieval Italy. After a short description of the status questionis in the research of vernacular Bible in Italy, the contribution will illustrate which processes of cultural transmission and translation contributed to the diffusion of the biblical texts. "the essay will also evaluate the role played by lay people in reading and writing activities connected to the biblical text and in the 'domestication' of biblical knowledge: the use of biblical manuscripts and early prints in domestic, private, and semi-private space. Far from being passive recipients, lay people were involved in every stage of the dissemination of the Holy Writ: as dedicatees of the translations, as scribes, as collectors, as distributors, and as readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the World War II history of Salesians concealing Jewish children in the Piedmont region of Italy during the period from 1943 to 1944. Topics discussed include historical background on the Jewish population of the region, activities of Catholic Church authorities to protect Jews, and historical documents related to these phenomena.

The article discusses historical accounting sources related to Ecclesiastical sites in the Subalpine region during the Low Middle Ages. Topics discussed include Church sites in the Castellania Savoy region, Ecclesiastical administration in the Savoy region during this time, and cathedral sites in the Piedmont region of Italy.

The article discusses the religious and political role of the Cardinal-Archbishop Pietro Maffi of Pisa, Italy during the First World War. Reference is made to the change in Maffi's position and activities after the entry of Italy into the war. Topics discussed include the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Italian state in Maffi's views and activism, the role of Maffi in encouraging the war effort as a religious matter, and the connection between the promotion of the war and the promotion of the Church.

This article develops a reflection on the forms of the "moderate way to political modernity" covered by Italian political Catholicism between the 19th and 20th century. The focus is on two different historical forms of Catholic moderatism: the traditional "clerical-moderate" front, in which moderation expresses a political praxis, and the Sturzian popularism, in which moderatism is a specification of a precise political platform. In the final part of the essay, the changes undergone by Catholic moderatism in the Fascist period are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented to the February 2013 issue of the Ventunesimo Secolo journal, focusing on models of moderate politics in Italy, Catholic moderatism in the history of Liberal Italy, and the history of Italian unification in the 19th century.

The article discusses Catholic thought on issues of public finance and taxation in the period from 1850 to 1876, with reference to the work of 19th century Italian Catholic scholar of the Society of Jesus, Luigi Taparelli D'Azeglio, and the Catholic culture of capitalistic economics. Topics discussed include the concept of taxation in the context of Catholic culture, the journal "La Civiltà Cattolica, edited by Taparelli D'Azeglio, and fiscal reforms in the Italian state and in the Catholic Church during this period.

During his pontificate, Pius xi (1922–39) vigorously promoted the ‘export’ of the Italian model of Catholic Action to the rest of the Church as the organisational blueprint for Catholic lay activism, particularly in the battle against atheistic Communism. He was assisted by Mgr, later Cardinal, Giuseppe Pizzardo, the head of Italian Catholic Action. The successes and failures of this campaign are tracked through documents available since the opening of the files of the apostolic nunciatures and delegations and the Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs section of the Secretariat of State for Pius xi's pontificate in the Vatican Archives. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article traces by a process of synthesis the developments which led Pope Paull III, the last and one of the most significant representatives of the Renaissance papacy, to suppress all forms of religious dissent in Italy, in the hardest and most unyielding manner – without, however, combating the abuses of ecclesiastical discipline and benefices critizised by the Protestant Reformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses Italian Unification leader Camillio Benso di Cavour, and his role in establishing the concept of a free church in a free state and the role of the church in the Italian state. Topics discussed include the role of religion in the political thought of Cavour, the concept of the separation between church and state in Cavour's thought, and the role of the state in the freedom of religion.

Copyright of Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais is the property of Centro de Estudos Sociais and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses several fresco paintings illustrating the facade of St. Peter's Basilica located in the Vatican City before the renovation and building extension with bell towers in 1612 by Pope Paul V. The author mentions the importance of the fresco for the architecture history of Early Baroque churches and compared them with drawings by Italian artist Giovanni Maggi from 1608. Other topics mentioned in this article include the Italian artist Michelangelo, facade architecture and design, as well as the analysis and research of historical sources.

The article discusses rural churches in Milan, Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries, with a focus on demographics and economic conditions, as well as institutional spaces created by the churches. Topics discussed include institutional adaptation to the conditions of society, relationships between social and economic structures and the organization of the church, and the influence of powerful families in rural locations on the the structure and functioning of the institutions of the church in these regions.

The article discusses inquisitorial cases involving the mystical movement of Pelagians and the alchemist Francesco Giuseppe Borri, who lead the group, during the 17th century in the Lombardy and Veneto regions of Italy, with a focus on archival procedural documents. Topics discussed include internal regional and political tensions related to the inquisitorial leaders, the spiritual beliefs and practices of the Pelagians, and the influence of Spanish religious practices on the Pelagians and Borri.

This article analyses the parallels between the role played by the Church, first during the Crisis of the Liberal State in the early twentieth century and then during the transition from the Christian Democratic regime to the ‘bi-polar’ Second Republic more than 70 years later. It explores both the particular, contingent forces at work in each, and the underlying explanations as to why the Church was able to successfully exploit these two processes of transition in the political history of Italy to its advantage. It concludes by arguing that the experience of these two crises demonstrates that the Church is not only a powerful force in Italian civil society but also effectively ‘a state within a state’ in relation to the functioning of Italy's political structures. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article explores the origins of the complex relationship between Church and State in Italy. The author traces the historical and political context, and analyzes the various phases of the slow process of interpenetration between Catholics and Liberals in the life of the new State: from the absolute intransigence of dawn of Unity to the early loosening of the opposition at the turn of the 20th century, to the structuring of an autonomous presence of Catholics in politics, followed by the final settlement of 1929. The author suggests that it is crucial to take into account the historical contingencies in the evolution of relations between Church and State.

At the turn of the twentieth century the Catholic Church promoted women's associations in an attempt to reassert Christianity in a struggle against its liberal and socialist adversaries. Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Rerum novarum (1891) called on Catholics to address a raft of serious problems resulting from social and economic transformations. This gave rise to a Christian Democratic movement and, within it, to Catholic feminism. Focusing on two Catholic women's periodicals, L'azione muliebre and Pensiero e azione, the author studies the emergence and the nature of Catholic feminism as well as its suppression by the Church. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rivista di Storia del Cristianesimo is the property of Editrice Morcelliana S.p.A. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The histories of two Bolognese monastic houses, Santa Maria del Monte della Guardia and Santa Caterina, reveal the complex relationships between some religious women's communities and monastic orders. They began as communities in small, regional congregations; became Augustinian in the mid-thirteenth century due to papal intervention; and were Dominican by the fifteenth century. Amid these changes, both communities attempted to retain elements of their early status and practices rather than accepting integration into larger orders. Whereas much scholarly attention rightly has been paid to convents that strove for incorporation into the religious orders, examinations of communities with more fluid affiliations can complement these studies and provide a fuller picture of medieval religious women's lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses activities of the Catholic Church in the region of Tuscany in Italy during the years 1859 and 1860. Among other topics addressed are changes which occurred within the church, what the author terms jurisdictionalism during the Second Restoration, and relations with the pope Pius IX. What the author seems to mean by jurisdictionalism is a tendency to focus on issues related to who exactly has jurisdiction in a particular area when dealing with a particular issue. The Second Restoration is a period within the Italian Risorgimento.

The article discusses the historical progression of the Italian state in its transformation from decentralization to the project of federalism. Topics discussed include the political history of Italy in the late 19th century, as well as existing administrative structures, political, religious, and community forces involved in the history of the establishment of the Italian state in the mid 20th century; and forces of centralization and decentralization during this process of federalization and establishment of the state.

The article discusses the role of the Catholic Church in Tuscany, Italy, then a Grand Duchy, during the period of the Second Restoration. Among the other topics addressed are the effects of the revolutions in Italy during 1848 on the politics of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the relations and traditions regarding those relations between the Church and State in Tuscany, Italy, and the role of prominent members of the church, especially the pope of the time, Pope Pius IX, in the political events of the period.

The article discusses aspects of the history of the modern united nation-state of Italy which in the author's opinion are not commonly acknowledged. Among other topics addressed are foreign relations between Great Britain and Italy, the relationship between the Catholic church and state in Italy and related history, and the constitution of 1948.

The article discusses the history of the Protestant Reformation and the Counter-Reformation in the area of the historical state in Italy the Marquisate of Saluzzo in the area of Piedmont, Italy. Among other topics addressed are the historical development of a religiously diverse population, including specific Protestant groups, the extent to which the different religious communities co-existed peacefully, and the relationship to linguistic and cultural diversity, and co-existence in the stated region of Italy.

On the morning of September 29, 1978, John Paul I was discovered dead. One of the shortest pontificates in history ended after 33 days. The Vatican announced that the 65 year-old pope died of a heart attack according to God's unfathomable providence. The sudden papal death gained worldwide media attention. Two issues were extensively discussed in the press: Firstly, what meaning might lie in the premature death that ended the pontificate after such a short time. Secondly, there was speculation on possible alternative explanations for the pontiff's lonely end, because the official cause of death was promptly questioned by the newspapers. In their opinion the stress of the office and the strains of the curial bureaucracy decisively weakened the pope's fragile health. Journalists reckoned that he left a remarkable legacy: His unique personality was reflected in the extraordinary circumstances of his death. These characteristics would determine the election of his successor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sixteenth-century writer Ortensio Lando (ca. 1512-ca. 1553) wrote many of his works pseudonymously and borrowed liberally from the works of others. Part of a community of professional writers who experimented with collaborative modes of literary production, Lando was also deeply invested in the currents of religious reform that swept through sixteenth-century Italy. In his extensive literary recourse to female personas, Lando privileged contemporary women who shared his own heterodox religious views. This essay examines Lando's female impersonations with particular attention to his use of Lucrezia Gonzaga da Gazzuolo (ca. 1521-76), whose complex literary relationship with Lando is illustrated by her presence throughout his literary corpus, and by his role in the book of Lettere published under her name. It argues that the relationship between these two figures can be best understood as a literary and spiritual partnership, one that meshed Lando's editorial expertise with Gonzaga's fame as a woman of extraordinary virtue and spiritual authority, a reputation that Lando himself helped to create. In an era when print publication by women was still far from common, such collaboration constituted an alternative path to literary expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the history of the royal court of Carlo Alberto di Savoia, 19th century Italian king of the Piedmont-Sardinia region in Italy; with a focus on the devotional practices of the royal court during this period. Topics discussed include background on the history of the rule of Carlo Alberto and the royal court, religious practices and the official dictate of freedom of religious practice, and the relationship between religion and court politics, including between the state military and the religious leadership.

The article discusses the attitude of the Catholic Church towards Jews and the Italian racial laws of the Fascist era, focusing on the diocesan press of the Catholic Ecclesiastical Region of Triveneto, Italy during the period from 1920 to 1945. Topics discussed include images of Jews in the press of this region, including the cities Padova, Udine, and Venezia, the concept of Jews as affiliated with Communism, and the involvement of the Catholic Church and the Catholic press in Triveneto in anti-Communist activities.

The article reviews the "Le autonomie locali nella Repubblica" National Conference of the Fondazione Alcide De Gasperi, held March 13, 2008 in Rome, Italy. Topics discussed include the process of integration of Eastern Europe from a legal, historical, and political perspective; the history of the political stability of the Italian republic, and the influence of the Catholic Church.

The article discusses pictorial representations of rulers shown kneeling at an altar and the intermingling of politics and religion in public polity. Specifically examined is a Venetian practice during the latter half of the sixteenth century of representing the doge as a liturgy participant . The author's analysis of such works concludes that such images primarily are intended to serve to reinforce the importance of the ducal office, its dignity, and its political and religious rights rather than to convey religious confessional symbols.

The article introduces and presents a bibliography of works on Italian Catholic social and political action between the 19th and 20th centuries, including "Quando Mattei era l'impresa energetica," by Giuseppe Accorrinti, "Il valore della storia: Alcide De Gasperi ed il Mito della repubblica cristiana," by Giuseppe Acocella, and "Giampietro Dore e Studium: Il paradosso cattolico: maggioranza politica senza egemonia culturale," by Andrea Ambrotietti.

A bibliography of works related to the Catholic Social Movement in Italy is presented, including "Annali della Fondazione Ugo Spirito," volume 16-17, "Bollettino di informazione dell'Associazione dei bibliotecari ecclesiastici italiani," volume 16; and "Giovanni Scalabrini: Il vescovo degli emarginati," by Piero Borzomati.

The article discusses the life and work of Italian journalist, writer, and politician Elena Da Persico, with a focus on the concepts of feminism and social commitment. Topics discussed include the intellectual focus and religious views of Da Persico, in relationship to the Catholic Church in Italy; the history of Da Persico against the background of bourgeois society in the Umbria region of Italy during the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the views of Da Persico concerning the social culture of the Catholic Church.