Unease grows among Catholic Democrats in Italy’s Democratic Party

Graziano Delrio says the unease among Catholic Democrats in Italy’s Democratic Party cannot be dismissed as simple political “stomach aches.” The former minister, a reformist in the party’s minority, says he feels uncomfortable with a debate that has become polarized across foreign and domestic policy.

“

The Catholic-democratic tradition is the one that has held the country’s institutions together.

On the Middle East, Delrio says support for the Palestinian cause should be accompanied by attention to moderate Arab countries, help for Lebanon and the goal of peaceful coexistence with Israel. He also defends Elly Schlein’s right to run in possible primaries against Giuseppe Conte, while insisting that the Democratic Party must pursue its own identity rather than act only as the guardian of the broad opposition alliance.

“

When we talk about the Middle East, we must speak not only about the sacred Palestinian cause, which I have supported for decades, but also about moderate Arab countries, help for Lebanon at a historic moment, and peaceful coexistence with Israel.

Delrio says the contest should help identify the figure best able to unite forces against Giorgia Meloni. He calls for an immediate discussion on immigration, including a revision of the Bossi-Fini law, and asks what the party wants to do on security. He points to Franco Gabrielli’s proposals as credible government-minded policies rather than propaganda, and asks how industrial production can be combined with the energy transition.

“

The Democratic Party must be the Democratic Party, not merely the guardian of the broad coalition.

Alfredo Bazoli says he cannot determine whether the unease is widespread, but argues that some party positions do not fit its pluralist character. He criticizes what he calls maximalist positions that polarize disputes, including debates over Palestine, Israel and the war in Ukraine. Bazoli warns that the party risks changing its political DNA by favoring the tradition of the Italian Communist Party over a more pluralist line, and calls for the Democratic Party to recover its Catholic-democratic identity.

“

Often I see maximalist positions that seek to polarize the conflict, which is the opposite of Catholic-democratic culture.