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Catholic Action was the name of many groups of lay
Laity

In religious organizations, the laity comprises all persons who are not clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not Holy Orders clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order ....
 Catholics who were attempting to encourage a Catholic influence on society.

They were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic countries that fell under anti-clerical regimes such as Italy, Bavaria, France and Belgium.

Catholic Action is not a political party, although in many times and places this distinction became blurred.






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Catholic Action was the name of many groups of lay
Laity

In religious organizations, the laity comprises all persons who are not clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not Holy Orders clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order ....
 Catholics who were attempting to encourage a Catholic influence on society.

They were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic countries that fell under anti-clerical regimes such as Italy, Bavaria, France and Belgium.

Catholic Action is not a political party, although in many times and places this distinction became blurred. Since the World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 the concept has often been eclipsed by Christian Democrat parties that were organised to combat Communist parties in places such as Italy and West Germany
West Germany

West Germany was the common English name for the Germany , from its formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when East Germany was dissolved and its States of Germany became part of the Federal Republic, ending the more than 40-year division of Germany....
.

Australia


A Catholic Action group was active in Australia, called "The Movement" and later the National Civic Council, under B.A. Santamaria. They were active in the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party is an List of political parties in Australia.Known as the Australian Labor Party#Etymology for short, the party is the current governing party of Australia, since the Australian federal election, 2007....
, but were expelled by more left wing elements and went on to form the Democratic Labor Party
Democratic Labor Party (historical)

The Democratic Labor Party was an Australian political party that existed from 1955 until 1978....
.

Chile

In Chile Catholic Action was the name of a nationwide youth movement. Under the aegis of Saint Alberto Hurtado it was responsible for the founding of the Chilean Trade Union Association.

Italy


Azione Cattolica
Azione Cattolica

The Azione Cattolica Italiana, or Azione Cattolica for short, is a widespread lay Roman Catholic Church Voluntary association in Italy....
 is probably the most active Catholic Action group still around today. Catholic Action was particularly well suited to Italy where Catholic party political action was impractical firstly under the Anti-Clerical Savoyard
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)

The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the Italian unification under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia; it existed until 1946 when the Italians opted for a republican constitution....
 regime from 1870 until about 1910 and later under the Fascist regime which prohibited independent political parties. The present association Azione Cattolica was founded in 1867 by Mario Fani and Giovanni Acquaderni with the name of Società della Gioventù Cattolica Italiana (Italian Catholic Youth Society), then reformed during the Mussolini regime when the association was structured into 4 sectors and was called Azione Cattolica.

Catholic Action in other countries

Catholic Action was organised in many other countries, including:
  • Argentina
  • Brazil (see Alceu Amoroso Lima
    Alceu Amoroso Lima

    Alceu Amoroso Lima was a writer, journalist and activist from Brazil. He adopted the pseudonym Trist?o de Ata?de in 1919 and wrote under that name....
    )
  • Canada (See Catherine Doherty
    Catherine Doherty

    Catherine Doherty, Order of Canada was a social activist and foundress of the Madonna House Apostolate. A pioneer of social justice and a renowned national public speaking, Catherine was also a prolific writer of hundreds of articles, best-selling author of dozens of books, and a dedicated wife and mother....
    )
  • France (See La Croix
    La Croix

    La Croix is a France, Roman Catholic Church, daily newspaper. It is published in Paris and distributed throughout the country, with a circulation of just under 100,000....
    )
  • Ireland (See: Catholic Action Movement in Ireland in 20th Century/Maurice Curtis. (Dublin, 2008) Available from Veritas Bookshop, Dublin, Ireland. http://www.veritas.ie/?page=search&key=maurice%20curtis&type=Author)
  • Poland (See Aleksander Cardinal Kakowski)
  • Spain, where it gave rise to Cursillo
    Cursillo

    Cursillos in Christianity is a ministry that began in the Roman Catholic Church and has since spread to other Christian denominations. It was founded in Majorca, Spain by a group of Laity in 1944, while they were refining a technique to train pilgrimage leaders....
  • United Kingdom (http://catholicactionuk.com/)
  • United States (See Friendship House
    Friendship House

    Friendship House is a missionary movement founded in the early 1930s by Roman Catholic Church social justice activist Catherine Doherty, one of the leading proponents of interracial justice in pre-Martin Luther King, Jr....
     and Catholics for the Common Good (http://www.ccgaction.org/))


See also

  • Blessed Bartolome Blanco Marquez
    Bartolome Blanco Marquez

    Blessed Bartolom? Blanco M?rquez Bartolom? Blanco M?rquez was born in Pozoblanco, C?rdoba , Spain in 1914. He was arrested as a Catholic leader -- he was the secretary of Catholic Action and a delegate to the Catholic Syndicates -- on Aug....
    , Youth leader of Catholic Action and martyr
    Martyr

    The term martyr is most commonly used today to describe an individual who sacrifices his or her life in order to further a cause or belief for many....
     of the Spanish Civil War
    Spanish Civil War

    The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted coup d'?tat by a group of Spanish Army generals, supported by the conservative Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right , Carlist groups and the fascistic Falange, against the government of the Second Spanish Republic, then under the leadership of pr...
  • Blessed Alberto Marvelli
    Alberto Marvelli

    Alberto Marvelli was an Italian Catholic activist.Born at Ferrara, he was given a Christian formation by his mother, who kept their home open to the poor....