Integralism

History from the workshop of Raphael depicting the crowning of Charlemagne as Imperator Romanorum by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day, 800.|left The first polity that formally embraced Christianity was Armenia under Tiridates III. However, the establishment of the civil order upheld by integralists is generally thought of as beginning with the conversion of Roman Emperor Constantine I in 312. While Constantine personally embraced Christianity, it was only in 380 that Theodosius I formally adopted Nicene Christianity as the religion of the empire by the Edict of Thessalonica. What R. W. Southern called the identification of the Church with the whole of organised society was intensified by the legal reforms of Justinian in the 6th century. The climactic stage in the identification began in the Latin West with the papal transference of Translatio imperii to Charlemagne in 800. The Constantinian age began to decline with the Reformation and is generally treated as ending with the French Revolution. In 1950, Pius XII identified the Dominican friar and prophet Savonarola as an early pioneer of integralism in the face of the "neo-pagan" influences of the Renaissance: "Savonarola shows us the strong conscience of the ascetic and an apostle who has a lively sense of things divine and eternal, who takes a stand against rampant paganism, who remains faithful to the evangelical and Pauline ideal of integral Christianity, put into action in public life as well and animating all institutions. This is why he started preaching, prompted by an interior voice and inspired by God." Teachings Catholic integralism is an interpretation of Catholic social teaching that argues for an authoritarian and anti-pluralist Catholic state, Catholic integralism does not support the creation of an autonomous "Catholic" State Church, or Erastianism (Gallicanism in French context). Rather, it supports subordinating the state to the moral principles of Catholicism, rejects separating morality from the state, and favours Catholicism as the proclaimed religion of the state. Thus, integralism is also understood to include a commitment to the teachings of the Angelic Doctor, especially as a bulwark against the subjectivist and skeptical philosophies emanating from Descartes and his successors. Political authority The idea that temporal political authority should be subordinated to man's ultimate, spiritual end is a common theme if not the main theme of contemporary Catholic integralism. Revival Contemporary discussions of integralism were renewed in 2014, focusing on criticism of liberalism and capitalism. In recent years, however, a "revived Catholic integralism" has been noted among the younger generation of Catholics writing for websites such as The Josias. Integralism could be said to merely be the modern continuation of the traditional Catholic conception of Church–State relations elucidated by Pope Gelasius I and expounded upon throughout the centuries up to the Syllabus of Errors, which condemned the idea that the separation of Church and State is a moral good. For example, some Catholics have praised the actions of Pius IX in the 1858 Mortara case, in which he ordered the abduction of a six-year-old Jewish boy who had been baptized without his parents' consent. Scholars have drawn parallels between Catholic integralism and a view held by a minority in the Reformed churches, Christian reconstructionism. In the National Catholic Reporter, Joshua J. McElwee stated that both Catholic integralists and Reformed Christian reconstructionists have created a non-traditional ecumenical alliance to achieve the goal of establishing a "theocratic type of state". Some integralists place themselves on the left wing of the political spectrum. Tradistae and Tradinista, both groups acknowledge what they see as the duty of the state towards the Catholic Church as well as supporting Liberation Theology and rejecting capitalism. Integralism has been identified as a basis for modern legal conceptions that emphasize natural law, including common good constitutionalism. Proposed and popularized by Adrian Vermeule, common good constitutionalism was developed like integralism to "combat the legitimate societal threat of modern liberal individualism". Some Protestant figures, such as Brad Littlejohn, have expressed interest in integralism and contended it more closely resembles a traditionally Protestant account of politics rather than a Catholic one. ==Variants==

There are a number of variants and localized permutations of integralist political theory, often named by their country of origin. French integralism The term "intégrisme" is largely used generically and pejoratively in French philosophical and sociopolitical parlance, particularly to label any religious extremism. Integralism in the narrow sense is often but controversially applied to the integral nationalism and Action Française movement founded by Charles Maurras although Maurras was an atheist and his movement was condemned by Rome as 'political modernism' in 1926. Jacques Maritain claimed that his own position of Integral humanism, which he adopted after rejecting Action Française, was the authentically integralist stance, although it is generally viewed as its antithesis. Portuguese integralism Integralismo Lusitano (Lusitanian Integralism) was the integralist movement of Portugal, founded in 1914. Portuguese integralism was traditionalist, but not conservative. It was against parliamentarism and, instead, it favored decentralization, Catholicism and the monarchy. Brazilian integralism The Brazilian integralist movement led by Plínio Salgado Ação Integralista Brasileira was founded in Brazil on 7 October 1932; it lasted less than six years as a legally recognized organization. The Brazilian integralist movement was the most successful fascist movement in Latin America. Spanish integralism The political implications of Catholic integralism are apparent in the Basque-Navarrese context of Spain, where that Integrism or Traditionalist Catholicism refers to a 19th- and 20th-century anti-Liberal movement advocating for the re-establishment of not only clerical but also native institutions lost in the context of the First Carlist War (1833, 1840). One of its branches evolved by the turn of the 20th century into Basque nationalism. The term may also refer to the Spanish formation led by Ramón Nocedal Romea and Juan Olazábal Ramery. ==Criticism==

The Southern Poverty Law Center used the term "integrism" to refer to "radical traditional Catholics" who reject the Second Vatican Council. The SPLC described them as antisemitic and "extremely conservative" regarding women, and also notes that some claim recent popes are illegitimate. Critics and opponents of integralism, such as Catholic author and political analyst George Weigel, argue that the movement can be associated with fascism. John Zmirak criticizes contemporary Catholic integralists as enemies of "religious liberty". Supporters of integralism argue that it is a mistake to associate the movement with fascism, stating that it developed before fascism, and that collaboration between fascist and integralist groups is overstated. Authors such as Thomas Pink insist integralism is compatible with Vatican II's account of religious freedom. ==See also==