"Non giurate affatto". Il rifiuto di Ernesto Buonaiuti nel 1931, tra politica e religione - «Swear not at all». Ernesto Buonaiuti's Refusal in 1931, between Politics and Religion

  • Marta Margotti Università di Torino
Parole chiave: Ernesto Buonaiuti, Swear allegiance, Fascism, Christianity

Abstract

Ernesto Buonaiuti chose not to obey to the order to pledge allegiance to fascism, in 1931, for religious reasons. He was born in 1881 and ordained as a catholic priest in 1903. In 1915, he became professor of History of Christianity at University of Rome and in 1924 he was excommunicated by the Holy Office because he used the historical critical method to study Ancient and Medieval Christianity. During the negotiations for the concordat of 1929, the Italian government imposed him to conduct only research and not to teach students, to satisfy Vatican desires/claims. In 1931, Buonaiuti explicitly recalled the words of the Gospel – «swear not at all» – because he believed that politics was not an absolute fact to which needed to subordinate individuals and society. After the fall of fascism, he asked insistently to return to his teaching post: he was reinstated to duty in the University of Rome, in May of 1945, but democratic governments did not allow him to teach students, to prevent disagreements with Vatican. He died in 1946.

Pubblicato
2022-01-04
Sezione
Saggi e Studi