Family Ties

Vatican Humanitarianism and Family Reunification at the End of Empire

Bibliographic Data

ID7150882
AuthorsEnrico Moretti (0000-0002-5124-9741, Fashion Institute of Technology-SUNY, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume34
Issue2
Pages333-346
Publication date2025-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueContemporary European History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0960-7773 • E-ISSN: 1469-2171
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0960777324000250
OpenAlexW4404331777
LanguageEN
References cited18

This essay analyses the Holy See's engagement in the postwar discourse surrounding displaced minors by focusing on the case of displaced Italian children from Libya. Separated from their families and evacuated to Italy at the onset of the Second World War, they were placed in Italian Youth of the Lictor (Gioventù Italiana del Littorio; GIL) camps. In the aftermath of the war, these displaced children petitioned to return to their families who had remained in territories no longer part of the Italian empire. This article shows how the Papal Aid Committee for Assisting Refugees took part in the relocation efforts and contributed to the conversation on family reunification. By navigating postwar aid and forming unexpected alliances, the Holy See not only contributed to reshaping Italy's geopolitical presence in the Mediterranean but also solidified conservative family norms within the international discussion on humanitarianism

Ancient history · Empire · Family ties · Genealogy · Communism, Protests, Social Movements · European history and politics · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · History

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