Christian Democracy (''Democrazia Cristiana'', DC) is a minor

Christian democratic Christian democracy is an ideology inspired by Christian social teaching to respond to the challenges of contemporary society and politics. Christian democracy has drawn mainly from Catholic social teaching and neo-scholasticism, as well ...

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

History

The sentence of the United Sections of the Court of Cassation n. 25999/2010 definitively sanctioned that the historical

Christian Democracy Christian democracy is an ideology inspired by Christian social teaching to respond to the challenges of contemporary society and politics. Christian democracy has drawn mainly from Catholic social teaching and neo-scholasticism, as well ...

did not have a juridical continuity with the various formations that had claimed the succession of that party. The ruling also made it clear that Christian Democracy was never dissolved by Congress, the only statutory body entitled to take such a decision. Therefore, on the initiative of Clelio Darida, with a notice in the Official Gazette of March 12, 2012, the National Council in charge in 1993 was reconvened to deliberate the election of the Political Secretary and the President. The council, meeting in Rome on March 30, 2012, elected

Gianni Fontana Giovanni Angelo Fontana (born 1 April 1944) is an Italian politician and lawyer. Biography Born in Verona, Fontana graduated in law from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. He was elected for the first time in Parliament in 1972. He als ...

as Political Secretary, Silvio Lega as President of the National Council and Clelio Darida as Honorary President. Therefore, the political subjects who claimed the name "Christian Democracy" became three, led respectively by Giuseppe Pizza,

Angelo Sandri Angelo is an Italian masculine given name and surname meaning "angel", or "messenger". People People with the given name * Angelo Abenante (1927–2024), Italian trade unionist and politician * Angelo Accardi, Italian visual artist * Angelo Acc ...

and

. Even the party led by Fontana resumed the celebration of the congresses continuing the numbering from the last of those celebrated by the historical DC, the XVIII held in 1989. Thus, in November 2012 the XIX congress was celebrated, which ratified the election of Fontana as Secretary. Subsequently, however, the members of the reborn DC changed its nature and name to "Christian Democracy Association" and Gianni Fontana took on the role of president of the association. In May 2012

Giampiero Catone Giampiero Catone (born 1 June 1956 in Naples, Campania) is an Italian politician and journalist. Biography Giampiero Catone was born on 1 June 1956 in Naples. He graduated in Political Sciences at the D'Annunzio University of Chieti–Pescara ...

, a deputy elected with

The People of Freedom The People of Freedom (, PdL) was a centre-right political party in Italy. The PdL launched by Silvio Berlusconi as an electoral list, including and National Alliance, on 27 February for the 2008 Italian general election. The list was later t ...

and formerly a leading member of the

Christian Democratic Centre The Christian Democratic Centre (, CCD) was a Christian-democratic political party in Italy from 1994 to 2002. Formed from a right-wing split from Christian Democracy, the party joined the centre-right coalition, and was a member of the European ...

, the

Union of Christian and Centre Democrats The Union of the Centre (, UdC), whose complete name is Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (''Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e Democratici di Centro'', UDC), is a Christian-democratic political party in Italy. Lorenzo Cesa is the part ...

and Christian Democracy for Autonomies, joined the party, which was thus given parliamentary representation. In December 2018

Gianfranco Rotondi Gianfranco Rotondi (born 25 July 1960) is an Italian politician. A member of the Italian Parliament since 1994, he was a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1994 to 1996, from 2001 to 2006, and since 2008, as well as a member of the Senate of ...

, president of the ''Federation of Christian Democracy'', Mario Tassone, secretary of the New CDU, Giorgio Merlo, leader of "White Network" and

Renato Grassi Renato is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Latin name Renatus. Notable people with the name used mononymously include: * Renato Mirze (born 1982), International brand chef, TV presenter * San Renato, a saint of the Catholic Church ...

, secretary of the DC, signed a federative pact for the reconstitution of the

, that, in June 2019, became a foundation. In the 2022 general election the DC joined the joint list of

Action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...

and

Italia Viva Italia Viva (, IV) is a Liberalism, liberal list of political parties in Italy, political party in Italy founded in September 2019. The party is led by Matteo Renzi, a former Prime Minister of Italy and former secretary of the Democratic Party ( ...

. Contextually, Christian Democracy Sicily, that is the Sicilian branch of the party, obtained 6.5% of the vote in the

2022 Sicilian regional election The 2022 Sicilian regional election for the renewal of the Sicilian Regional Assembly and the election of the List of Presidents of Sicily, President of Sicily were held on 25 September, 2022. Renato Schifani, candidate of the centre-right coalit ...

. In May 2023, during a congress,

Salvatore Cuffaro Salvatore "Totò" Cuffaro (born 21 February 1958) is a former Italian politician and former President of Sicily. He has served an almost 5-year jail sentence for aiding Cosa Nostra.Gianni Fontana Giovanni Angelo Fontana (born 1 April 1944) is an Italian politician and lawyer. Biography Born in Verona, Fontana graduated in law from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. He was elected for the first time in Parliament in 1972. He als ...

(2012–2018),

(2018–2023),

(2018–2019), Renzo Gubert (2019–2023),

(2023–present) *Honorary President: Clelio Darida (2012–2017)

Election results

European Parliament

References

External links

Official website
{{Italian political parties 2012 establishments in Italy Christian democratic parties in Italy Catholic political parties Political parties established in 2012