Description:
This book deals with Church and State Relations in Italy. While it focuses on the period 1965-1985 it also provides a thorough historical background of the issues involved in this relationship from 1860 onwards.
A comparative analysis between the 1929 Lateran Accords and its revisions of 1984 is included, as well as the only English translation of the 1984 text thus far available.
Review Quotes: «This is a historically important book for persons who are interested in Italian politics and the Vatican...a notable case study for those who are concerned with churchstate relations in other nations as well.» (Frederick C. Turner, University of Connecticut)
«This first-rate study of the negotiations between the Italian government and the Vatican that produced the new concordat makes an important contribution to our understanding of Curch-State relations in contemporary Italy. The insights into the domestic politics involved in the formulation of the Italian position and strategy are particularly significant.» (Norman Kogan, University of Connecticut)
«Based on a wide variety of sources, both published and unpublished, (this book) is a valuable and authoriative study on the evolution of Italian politics and the changing character of Italian society since the end of the Second World War. It is must reading for anyone interested not only in the history of the Italian Republic, but also in the changing position of the Church in the modern world, and in the more general questions of the place of religion in society and the process of secularization.» (Emiliana P. Noether, University of Connecticut)