THOMIST PROFILES IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY CATHOLIC POLITICAL

CHAPTER 1 PERSON AND LAW - GUIDO GONELLACHAPTER 2 THE POLITICS OF LAW - FRANCESCO OLGIATI
CHAPTER 3 LAW BETWEEN NATURE AND GRACE - GIORGIO LA PIRA

This volume explores key aspects of the political thought of Guido Gonella, Francesco Olgiati and Giorgio La Pira – three leading figures of twentieth-century Catholicism. Faced with the “crisis of civilization” that marked their time, each of them recognized in the recovery of the philosophical foundations of Thomism a crucial resource for a new cultural and political renaissance. Through a comparative analysis of how they have actualized St. Thomas’ doctrine, the book contributes to shedding light on the very identity of twentieth- entury Christian political thought, situating it within the broader context of the crisis of European consciousness between the two World Wars. The study highlights how Gonella’s and La Pira’s Thomism differs in tone and orientation from that of Olgiati, due not only to distinct historical contexts but also to divergent conceptual frameworks. The discussion centers on three core themes – the notion of the person, the political nature of law and the synthesis of nature and grace – which, though analytically distinct, are organically traceable to a single underlying issue: the structure of Christian society.


Costanza Ciscato, Assistant Professor at the University of Padua, teaches History of Political Thought. Her research interests focus primarily on contemporary Catholic political thought and the intellectual history of natural law.