File:Italian life in town and country (1902) (14772666142).jpg

Identifier: italianlifeintow00villuoft (find matches)
Title: Italian life in town and country
Year: 1902 (1900s)
Authors: Villari, Luigi, 1876-
Subjects: Italy -- Social life and customs
Publisher: New York, Putnam
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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alsof the Curia (many of whom are foreigners)favour the Papal claims because their realisationwould give them a tangible political position andpower. The Clerical, or Black, Roman fami-lies remain Clerical because they have been con-nected with the Vatican for generations, or becausethey think it is more swagger. Others adhereto the party for various individual motives. Theirtotal numbers form an infinitesimal minority ofthe Italian people. We shall deal with the clergylater. There is another class of Catholics who areabsolutely sincere in their religious convictions,and who regularly attend mass and observe allthe other religious practices of the Church ofRome, but who have no connection with its politi-cal aims. Catholics of this sort are very numer-ous, although they do not constitute a majorityof the population. Many members of the aris-tocracy are of this way of thinking, and amongthem one finds some really beautiful examples ofreligious life. There are people, especially ladies.
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UJ Occ I CO h \- UJ a. Religious Life and Thought 151 who devote themselves whole-heartedly to charit-able works, impelled by their faith. Their onethought is how to make others happy, and theydo their deeds of kindness without any ostenta-tion, but simply because they feel that such istheir duty. In the middle and lower classes, too,there are devout Catholics in considerable num-bers. But the convictions of people of this typeare purely religious. With the political aims ofthe Vatican they will have nothing to do, or ifthey are interested in politics they are attachedto the Monarchy. It is difficult for a man to be agood Catholic and a good patriot, owing to theuncompromising attitude of the Vatican, whichtries to enforce its political creed as an essentialdogma of religion; but many do combine the twocharacters. Among the ofl&cers of the Army andthe Navy, and in the public services, there aremany good Catholics. The Dowager-Queen Mar-gherita, for instance, is intensely religious

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