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Position:Home>History> What Religion Was Benito Mussolini Before He Was Baptized Catholic in 1927?


Question: What Religion Was Benito Mussolini Before He Was Baptized Catholic in 1927!?
Did His Changing of Religion Have Anything To Do With His Political Views!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Prior to his baptism, he was an atheist!. (Note that he signed the Lateran accords in 1929, creating the state of Vatican city!.)

"In 1927, Mussolini was baptised by a Roman Catholic priest in order to take away certain Catholic opposition, who were still very critical of a regime which had taken away papal property and virtually blackmailed the Vatican!. However, Mussolini was never known to be a practicing Catholic!. Since 1927, and more even after 1929, Mussolini, with his anti-Communist doctrines, convinced many Catholics to actively support him!. In the encyclical Non abbiamo bisogno, Pope Pius XI attacked the Fascist regime for its policy against the Catholic Action and certain tendencies to overrule Catholic education morals!."


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He wasn't anything before he was batized Catholic!. His mother was, of course, a devout Roman Catholic but his father was an active Socialist and not loyal to the church!. The conflict between his parents about religion meant that, unlike most Italians, Mussolini was not baptised at birth AS a Roman Catholic!.
Being Catholic is almost genetic to Italians!.
Mussolini finally being baptisted was a political move!. He was not a practicing Catholic and only did it for support from the Church!.
It did not change his views on religion at all!. It only got baptisted to look "better" to the people and church!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I believe he was Atheist!. Mussolini was a socialist in his younger years!. I looked in a biography of Mussolini i own and actually found that he was sent by his mother to a school run by monks!. Spiritually I think he probably had a quite similar experience as many other italians!. The baptism would merely be ploy to gain acceptance by the clergy, who had great power in Italy at the time!. So I do not believe it had any bearing on his political views!. A lot of what Mussolini did in his early years, he did in order to secure his position of power and dominance!.Www@QuestionHome@Com