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Friends, Foes, Or Fellow-Travelers: Italian Fascism And The Catholic Church, Cale Gressman

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

What was the relationship between Italian Fascism and the Catholic Church? Drawing on both primary sources including speeches, encyclical letters, and newspaper articles and significant amounts of secondary sources, this paper argues that the relationship between the two factions was one of “cohabitation” with both sides cooperating in areas of mutual interest, such as solving the Roman Question, anti-Bolshevism, and the maintenance of traditional family and gender values. Overall, the Catholic Church can be described as “fellow-travelers” with Italian Fascism.