Daniela Saresella. Catholics and Communists in Twentieth-Century Italy: Between Conflict and Dialogue.

Abstract

In recent years, historical literature has highlighted the transnational dimension of progressive Catholicism, which in various phases animated the political and cultural climate of the second postwar period. Italy emerged as one of the major hubs of this network, which among other things tried to build bridges between the Catholic and the Marxist culture. This book by Daniela Saresella, Catholics and Communists in Twentieth-Century Italy: Between Conflict and Dialogue, confirms the “singularity” (9) of the Italian scenario while presenting a comprehensive history of the relations between Catholics and the Left in the twentieth century. The title of the book is somewhat misleading, as is the surprising choice for the cover—the famous photograph of Aldo Moro held captive by the Red Brigades, which mistakenly suggests a conflictual and dramatic narrative. This is not just the story of the relationship between Catholics and Communists but between Catholics “and the Left” (57,...