Page 53 - Mediterraneo e dintorni - nr 7

Il Manifesto
di Don Luigi Sturzo
LUIGI STURZO, “FREE AND
STRONG” FOR A HUNDRED
YEARS! THE PRINCIPLE OF
“AUTHORITY” IN THE THOUGHT
OF THE
SICILIAN PRIEST

Exactly one century ago, on 18
January 1919, Don Luigi Sturzo
launching his appeal “To all free
and strong men” and establishing
the Popular Party, restored to the
country the active contribution of
Italian Catholics. We would like to
recall a fundamental aspect of the
theoretical apparatus developed by
the priest from Caltagirone on the
question of political authority. Luigi
Sturzo teaches us that every society,
whatever its form, can never do
Il programma without authority. Sturzo sees in it
del Partito Popolare Itaiano a “principle of order”, a “means of
unification”, the “symbol” of sociality
itself. Sturzo starts from the belief
that we can not talk about society, if
not as a “sharing” of ideas, feelings,
affections, values and interests. It is
precisely the conflict and intersection
of the actions carried out in the name
of these values and interests that lead
Sturzo to affirm that individuals in
society contribute, each in his / her
own way - directly or indirectly - to
the “creation, implementation and
solidification of authority “; for this
reason he reiterates that “the essence
of authority is the same permanent,
active, unifying and responsible
conscience”. This assessment gives
rise to the consideration of Sturzo in
relation to the genesis of institutions,
since both the emergence of authority
unificatrice e responsabile”. Da di fuori della società. Poi ci sono and the subjection to it are “facts
qui, la considerazione sturziana, i nemici dell’autorità, in quanto of conscience” and only in the
di tipo “genetico-evolutivo”, in contraria ad un proprio interesse individual conscience is it possible to
ordine alla genesi delle istitu- particolare e finiscono per essere trace the value of social unification in
zioni, dal momento che, tanto colpiti dalle stesse leggi che vio- authority. There are different types
that deny authority. The former are
l’emergere dell’autorità, quanto lano. In terzo luogo, vi sono colori those who deny it as such, and they
l’assoggettarsi ad essa sono “fatti che negano l’autorità e un deter- are the anarchists, who immediately
di coscienza” e solo nella coscien- minato ordine sociale perché ri- and autonomously put themselves
za individuale è possibile rin- tengono che ve ne sia un altro mi- outside society. Then there are the
tracciare il valore più profondo gliore. Questi ultimi esprimono enemies of authority, as opposed to
their own particular interest and end
dell’unificazione sociale nell’au- una continua forma di rinnova- up being hit by the same laws that they
torità. mento sociale, un fermento per- violate. Thirdly, there are those who
Esistono diverse tipologie che ne- petuo che può condurre verso il deny authority and a certain social
gano l’autorità. I primi sono colo- meglio, ma anche verso il peggio. order because they believe that there is
ro che la negano in quanto tale, e A queste tre categorie: l’anarchi- another better one. The latter express
sono gli anarchici, i quali si met- co, il partigiano e il riformatore, a continuous form of social renewal,
a perpetual ferment that can lead
tono immediatamente e da sé al Sturzo ne aggiunge una quarta: il to the best, but also to the worst. To

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