This article seeks to illustrate some characteristics of the religiosity of Italians, focusing on Catholicism and interpreting the data in the light of the model of religious economy. The issue of belonging to the Catholic Church is addressed first, with an emphasis on problems of measurement and on the factors which underlie the differentiation of religious orientations in Italy. Next, the practice of Catholicism, primarily attendance at Mass, is examined as an indicator of the diffusion and vitality of the Catholic Church, and its course since the Second World War is described. Finally, the article deals with the issue of belief, showing Italians' widely diffused propensity to 'deviate' from full Catholic orthodoxy. Our analysis shows that while the Catholic Church has maintained its pre-eminent position in Italy's internal religious market, it has lost ground in recent decades and at present must contend with a considerable lack of both vitality and orthodoxy. © 1999 Taylor & Francis Limited.

Marchisio, R., Pisati, M. (1999). Belonging without believing: Catholics in contemporary Italy. JOURNAL OF MODERN ITALIAN STUDIES, 4(2), 236-255.

Belonging without believing: Catholics in contemporary Italy

MARCHISIO, ROBERTO;PISATI, MAURIZIO
1999

Abstract

This article seeks to illustrate some characteristics of the religiosity of Italians, focusing on Catholicism and interpreting the data in the light of the model of religious economy. The issue of belonging to the Catholic Church is addressed first, with an emphasis on problems of measurement and on the factors which underlie the differentiation of religious orientations in Italy. Next, the practice of Catholicism, primarily attendance at Mass, is examined as an indicator of the diffusion and vitality of the Catholic Church, and its course since the Second World War is described. Finally, the article deals with the issue of belief, showing Italians' widely diffused propensity to 'deviate' from full Catholic orthodoxy. Our analysis shows that while the Catholic Church has maintained its pre-eminent position in Italy's internal religious market, it has lost ground in recent decades and at present must contend with a considerable lack of both vitality and orthodoxy. © 1999 Taylor & Francis Limited.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
religion; contemporary Italy; Catholicism; sociology
English
1999
4
2
236
255
none
Marchisio, R., Pisati, M. (1999). Belonging without believing: Catholics in contemporary Italy. JOURNAL OF MODERN ITALIAN STUDIES, 4(2), 236-255.
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/4232
Citazioni
  • Scopus 24
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 17
Social impact