Die katholische Kirche als politischer Akteur in Italien, Frankreich und Deutschland

In: Politische Vierteljahresschrift: PVS : German political science quarterly, Band 43, S. 279-299

Abstract

In the post-WWII era, the Catholic Church has, by & large, been demoted to the status of a private organization with no official political authority. Nevertheless, it has sought to retain its political influence. While political parties were the dominant force in the policy process & while the Church had control over significant assets of interest to parties (Catholic voters), Church-party interaction was the primary means by which the national Churches & the Vatican acted politically. As parties developed alternative means of support & as the Churches lost their ability to deliver large numbers of voters to parties, the Churches have turned toward the general public, competing with other political actors to get their policy interests on the social & political agenda. This chapter analyzes this argument with a discussion of Church political strategies in postwar France, Italy, & Germany. 57 References. Adapted from the source document.