Lenten Campaign 2025
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“A model for Italian and European politics": this is how Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar of the diocese of Rome, described Alcide De Gasperi (1881-1954). He was speaking at the closing ceremony of the diocesan inquiry into the life and heroic virtues of the former Italian Prime Minister on February 28, 2025. A central figure in post-war Italy and a pioneer of European integration, Alcide De Gasperi could soon become venerable, the final stage before beatification and then canonization.
The solemn closing ceremony of the diocesan investigation phase of the cause for the beatification of Alcide De Gasperi took place in the presence of around 30 people gathered in the Sala dei Pontifici, in the Vicariate Palace.
Cardinal Vicar Baldassare Reina presided over the event in the presence of the dean of the college of cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, a great admirer of the Christian Democrat.
In the speech read for the occasion, Cardinal Reina emphasized the importance of this historical figure.
De Gasperi was an opponent of Benito Mussolini during the fascist period. He then became the president of the council of ministers from 1946 to 1953, playing a key role in the reconstruction of post-war Italy.
The cardinal also highlighted the “inclusive and forward-looking” vision of the man who is now considered one of the political “fathers of Europe,” alongside Robert Schuman, Jean Monet and Konrad Adenauer. Together with the latter, he participated in the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the forerunner of the European Union, in 1950.
A man of “rock-solid faith”
“At a moment in history when credible and coherent leaders are needed, the figure of the Servant of God De Gasperi appears as a relevant model, capable of offering valid lessons for people engaged in politics and social work,” the Sicilian cardinal continued.
Insisting on the current “crisis of political representation,” he presented the “De Gasperi method” as a suitable antidote for an “era marked by polarization and populism.”
The cardinal also recalled the friendship between Alcide De Gasperi and Cardinal Angelo Roncalli, the future John XXIII. However, he didn’t mention the ties uniting De Gasperi to Pius XII. In fact, they were very close until 1952, the year in which the Vatican attempted to force the Christian Democrats to compromise in order to prevent the election of a socialist mayor in Rome. De Gasperi's outright refusal was very poorly received by the pontiff, who refused to receive him afterwards.
This episode deeply hurt De Gasperi, who during his lifetime was recognized as a very pious man of great moral integrity. Cardinal Reina also paid tribute to the “profound spirituality” that nourished his Christian vision of life and public service, evoking a “rock-solid faith.”
More than 22,000 documents
Initially opened in 1993 in the diocese of Trento, where Alcide De Gasperi was born, his cause for beatification was finally transferred to Rome to facilitate research into the life of the former President of the Council of Ministers. The phase of the historical investigation into the politician's heroic virtues began in 2022 with the approval of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
In total, more than 22,000 documents were collected by a team of historians. The results of their research were gathered in 23 boxes that were officially sealed during the closing ceremony. They were then forwarded to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
It is this entity that has the authority to recognize or not, with the Pope's approval, the heroism of the virtues of the politician, thus declaring him “venerable,” the last step before beatification.
