Chiesa e Stato Church-State Relations in Italy within the Contemporary Constitutional Framework

Italy is left out of most contemporary comparative studies of political systems. This omission can be due neither to any intrinsic unimportance of Italy in Europe, nor to the absence of parallel similarities and differ­ ences - the prerequisites of comparative explanation - between the Italian and other Western political systems. It may be due to the paucity of case studies of Italian politics, upon which comparisons would have to be based. Professor Bucci's book will contribute toward overcoming this scarcity. Not only is Italy under-represented in comparative studies of post­ war European politics, but there is also a shortage of monographs dealing with particular aspects of Italian politics since the founding of the Republic, especially in English. I hope that Dr. Bucci's work, which is based exclusively upon original Italian sources, signals the beginning of exploration, more systematic than hitherto, of the goldmine for case studies which post-war Italian politics presents to political scientists.

I. Introduction.- II. The Lateran Pacts and the Constituent Assembly.- Introductory Statement.- Initial Skirmishes.- The Debate on Lateran.- The Statisti and Left Parties.- The Vatican Position.- Determining Attitudes: Christian Democrats and Communists.- III. The Catholic Church and the Italian State: The Case of the Bishop of Prato.- Development of the Case.- Preliminary Hearings.- The Trial Begins.- The Case for the Plaintiff.- The Public Prosecutor.- The Case for the Defendant.- The Verdict.- Appeal and Reversal.- IV. Freedom of Religion I: Pre-War Background and Postwar Developments.- The Theory of Freedom of Religion.- The Creation of the Constitutional Court.- The Former Policy.- The New Era and the Pentecostal Sect.- V. Freedom of Religion II: Aggiornamento.- Intervention Ex-officio.- The Impact of the 1953 elections.- The Paden Case.- The Lasco Case.- VI. The Needed Relationship.- Tables.- Appendices.