Catholics and Politics Thirty Years after the End of the Christian Democracy Party

Thirty years after the dissolvement of the Christian Democracy party, the fragmentation of the Catholic electorate and the lack of a unified political reference point are clear reflections of a secularized society and a Catholicism that is increasingly diverse within itself. While Pope Francis encour-- ages the social and political commitment of Catholics as a form of charity and as a direct path to building the common good, the tendency towards individualism and disengagement prevails in that subject, the Catholic laity, which should be the generative engine of a renewed action in the political sphere. Is there a demand for the assumption of a design and institutional responsibility of Italian Catholicism? And if so, is there a subject capable of answering it? The hypothesis of a Christian-inspired movement with a common vision appears difficult to achieve. The question of Catholic identity and its impact on Italian society remains open, and Christian communities are called to experiment with new forms of involvement and political participation to meet the chal-- lenges of contemporary society.