ROME AND THE POLITICS OF FASCISM
Church and State: an Overview
The Vatican and the Italian Fascist State had tenuous relations until a treaty agreement was made on February 11, 1929. From 1860 onward, both parties engaged in a strange dance of enmity and amity. In the four years leading up to the Lateran Accords, this dance was on full display. We outline it here in broad terms and on our in-depth timeline page through a series of New York Times articles related to the events.
Fascist-Vatican Relations: 1926-1929
Throughout almost the entire reign of Fascism in Italy, Pious XI ruled as Pontiff in the Vatican. He remained confined to the Vatican under voluntary imprisonment until July 25, 1929 after the official ratification of the Lateran Accords. Every Pope since Leo XIII in 1870 had declared himself a voluntary prisoner of the Vatican in protest of Church land seizures during the Resurgiamento. They refused to recognize the legitimacy of the Italian state and managed to largely ignore the state that so wholly surrounded them.
The Roman Question
The Roman Question refers to the strange relationship between the Catholic Church and the various governments Italy has seen throughout history. Almost three centuries later, Emporer Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in 313 C.E., which officially established Christianity as the religion of his empire, which held its capital in Rome. It was under Pope Damasus, who reigned during the time of Constantine, that Christianity was effectively Romanized (White 60). He actively sought to court wealthy Christians that could fund the building of large churches in the area. He also stressed the importance of martyrs, who further connected Roman citizens to the Church.
Papal influence in the area waned and waxed throughout the succeeding centuries. By the time of the Resurgiamento, papal lands decreased to a size similar to its current area. This created a significant amount of tension between the new Italian liberal state and the Holy See, who decided to impose self-imprisonment inside Vatican walls in protest.
The Roman question, then, asks: What role, if any, should the Church have in Rome?
VIDEO, ABOVE: Cardinal Gasparri visits the Italian Embassy, July 1929. Since the unification of Italy, the Vatican had refused to recognize the Italian state until the 1929 Lateran Accords. Here, Cardinal Gasparri's visit to the Italian Embassy reflects the new settlement found between the Vatican and Italy. Mussolini celebrated the rapproachment between the two with the creation of the Via della Conciliazione, constructed in the years following the Accords.
The Lateran Accords: Settling the Roman Question
The Lateran Accords began by reaffirming that Roman Catholicism is the only official religion of Italy. They then recognized the complete independence of the Pope and his jurisdiction over the territory of Vatican City, officially recognizing the area as an independent entity separate from Italy. It further recognized the Holy See's sovereignty by allowing for diplomatic immunity of Vatican emissaries.The Accords also laid out extensive collaboration between the Church and State on marriage and divorce. It delineated strict rules for marriage announcements and services, tying together the civil and religious aspects of the rite.The Accords made Catholic education in primary and secondary school compulsory as well, further linking Church and State together. In yet another concession, Fascist Italy also agreed to pay for the lands seized during the Resurgiamento in the 1870s. It paid the Vatican 750 million lire in cash and 1 billion lire in Italian state consols at 5 percent interest (Accord 1929).In this treaty, the Vatican gained money and influence; Mussolini gained further legitimacy. The Pope emerged from his voluntary imprisonment and Mussolini could boast the conquering of yet another aspect of Italian culture.
Via della Conciliazione: Reconciliation Incarnate
Mussolini created the Via della Conciliazione (translation: Street of Reconciliation) as an embodiment of the new settlement between the Vatican and the Italian State. The road is a major artery for the city, physically connecting the Vatican to the heart of Rome. Creation of the Via began just a few years after the Lateran Accords, in the Roman construction boom of the 1930s.
IMAGE, ABOVE: View from atop St. Peter's Basilica showing the Roman cityscape before construction of the Via della Conciliazione. The area which would become the Via is packed with densely populated neighborhoods and narrow streets. Image from Wikimedia Commons.
IMAGE, ABOVE RIGHT: A similar view of Rome. The Via della Conciliazione is a major roadway, much wider and straighter than the older Roman roads. In addition to representing the new agreement between the Vatican and the Fascist State, the Via served as part of Mussolini's Master Plan for Rome: the 'unhygenic' crowded neighborhoods were torn down and replaced with a modern roadway allowing for greater movement through the city. Image via Wikimedia Commons.