On Thursday, 11 September 2025 at 6:45 p.m., the Lombardy Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George celebrated its monthly Mass in the church of Santa Maria presso San Satiro in Via Torino, Milan, Italy. The Mass was presided over by Prof. Father Maurizio Ormas, Constantinian Chaplain of Merit with Silver Star and former lecturer at the Pontifical Lateran University. Following the Mass, he gave a conference on the theme At the Dawn of Europeanism: The Ventotene Manifesto (1943) and the Camaldoli Code (1944) — a historical yet very topical subject. The interactions and connections between the Ventotene Manifesto (original title “Per un’Europa libera e unita. Progetto d’un manifesto”) and the Camaldoli Code (original title “Per la comunità cristiana. Principii dell’ordinamento sociale a cura di un gruppo di studiosi amici di Camaldoli”) bring us back to the roots of European federalism — a topic worthy of deeper study.
The Holy Mass
At the celebration of the monthly Mass of the Lombardy Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, presided over by Prof. Father Maurizio Ormas, Chaplain of Merit with Silver Star, were also present Father Mauro Viganò, Chaplain of Merit; the Delegate for Lombardy, Dr. Eng. Gilberto Spinardi, Knight Grand Cross of Merit; and the Representative for Pavia, Dr. Gianfranco Cicala, Knight of Merit with Silver Star.
The Conference
After the Mass, the conference on At the Dawn of Europeanism: The Ventotene Manifesto (1943) and the Camaldoli Code (1944) was held. It was delivered by Prof. Father Maurizio Ormas, Chaplain of Merit with Silver Star and former lecturer at the Pontifical Lateran University, who was introduced by the Cultural Activities Liaison, Prof. Edoardo Teodoro Brioschi, Knight Grand Cross of Merit.
Regarding the theme of the conference, Prof. Ormas stated: “The recent controversies over the Ventotene Manifesto, drafted in 1941 by Altiero Spinelli and Ernesto Rossi, seem to me decidedly forced. Some diminish it as a text proposing the abolition of private property and opening the way to an almost collectivist vision of European society; others elevate it as the sole federalist blueprint for European unity and the near-exclusive foundation of the Italian republican constitution. The Manifesto’s federalism does not emerge from nowhere but is part of a reflection shared by many Italian and European intellectuals in the aftermath of the Great War. In Italy in particular, a major contribution to the idea of a finally united Europe and a democratic and social Constitution for the country was made by those Catholics who were protagonists in drafting the so-called Camaldoli Code.”
Prof. Edoardo Teodoro Brioschi, Cultural Activities Liaison of the Delegation and Knight Grand Cross of Merit, introduced the conference, underlining that the federalism of the Ventotene Manifesto did not arise in a vacuum but formed part of a reflection shared by many Italian and European intellectuals after the Great War. In Italy in particular, the so-called Camaldoli Code was an important Catholic contribution to the maturing of the idea of a united Europe and of a democratic and social Constitution for the country.
The speaker emphasized that the two historical documents influenced Italy’s constitutional debate: the Ventotene Manifesto of 1943 and the Camaldoli Code of 1944. These texts represent differing visions of federalism and of overcoming nationalism. The Ventotene Manifesto is considered fundamental, representing the idea of European unity after the First World War and the need to overcome nationalism. The Camaldoli Code, drafted by Catholics, offers a different point of view on government and social organization.
The authors of the Ventotene Manifesto — Altiero Spinelli, Ernesto Rossi and Eugenio Colorni — each had a personal history of struggle against fascism. The ideological differences among Italy’s various historic political forces played a key role in shaping European thought, highlighting the importance of building an alliance among European peoples and the concept of federal union. Einaudi’s vision was more federalist than the more statist and dirigiste ideas set out in the Ventotene Manifesto.
Although important, the Ventotene Manifesto was not decisive in the birth of Europe compared to figures such as De Gasperi, Adenauer and Schuman. The Manifesto advocates strong centralization of power and a statist vision, less in line with traditional liberal principles. It also neglects subsidiarity and other principles of the Church’s social doctrine. Balancing the national states and autonomies is essential, reiterating the importance of representative democracy and, finally, reflecting on how the Catholic democratic-liberal tradition had a fundamental impact on building the Italian Republic and Constitution — contrary to the positions suggested by the Ventotene Manifesto when compared to the Camaldoli Code.
The Ventotene Manifesto
The Ventotene Manifesto—originally titled “For a Free and United Europe – Project for a Manifesto”—is a document promoting European political unity written by Altiero Spinelli and Ernesto Rossi (with contributions from Eugenio Colorni) in 1941 during their exile on the island of Ventotene in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It was subsequently distributed clandestinely. In 1943, shortly before his assassination, Eugenio Colorni oversaw its drafting and personally wrote the preface.
The Camaldoli Code
The Camaldoli Code—originally titled “For the Christian Community – Principles of the Social Order,” edited by a group of scholars and friends of Camaldoli—is a programmatic document that defines principles for social order in Italy. From Sunday, July 18th to Saturday, July 24th, 1943, a group of Catholic intellectuals—both lay and religious—met at the Benedictine monastery of Camaldoli in Casentino, under the guidance of Msgr. Adriano Bernareggi, Ecclesiastical Assistant to the graduates of Catholic Action. The aim was to discuss and reflect on the Church’s social teaching, on societal problems, on the relationship between the individual and the state, and between the common good and individual freedom. It was organized as one of the Lay Theology Weeks or Social Weeks, so as not to arouse the fascist regime’s suspicions.
The main promoters of the meeting were Sergio Paronetto and Vittorino Veronese, Secretary General of the Catholic Institute for Social Activities. Catholic experts from all branches of the social sciences (economists, jurists, sociologists, technicians, and various managers) gathered to reflect on the principles governing the social order. Approximately thirty people attended, including several young people from Italian Catholic Action. Determined to transcend the fascist regime’s corporatist conception, the participants developed the principles of a new state organization, an alternative to both liberalism and social communism, in which Catholics could play an active role.
The aim was to provide Catholic social forces with a unified basis to guide their action in a liberated Italy. The project was to develop a social culture text that updated the Mechelen Code, the first attempt at Catholic Social Doctrine made by the International Union of Social Studies in Mechelen, Belgium, starting from the contributions that emerged during the week-long seminar, in which Giorgio La Pira also actively participated.
July 25th and subsequent events altered the work plan, which had envisioned broad participation. The draft was entrusted to Sergio Paronetto, Pasquale Saraceno, Ezio Vanoni, and Giuseppe Capograssi, who completed it in 1944. It was published in April 1945 in the university student magazine of Catholic Action under the title “For the Christian Community – Principles of the Social Order,” edited by a group of scholars and friends of Camaldoli.
The Camaldoli Code does not take refuge in academic utopias or federalist fantasies, but affirms an indestructible truth: society is founded on the centrality of the individual, the family, and the national community. One of the essential characteristics of the document is its placing social justice among the primary goals of the state, along with the protection of freedom. It is the antidote to the elitist thinking of the Ventotene Manifesto, because it opposes the dehumanization of politics and the idea of a Europe administered by bureaucrats disconnected from the people.
The significant influence of the Camaldoli Code on the drafting of the Italian Constitution and on the reforms proposed by Alcide De Gasperi is clear. It became a point of reference for Catholic intellectuals of the “social” wing of the Christian Democrats and served as an inspiration and guideline for the actions of the Christian Democrats, which in the Italian Republic was, for several terms, the largest governing party.
With its call for social justice enlightened by Christian principles, it also offers a clear response to the economic and social challenges of our time: it speaks of work as dignity, of the family as the founding nucleus, of private property as a natural right but with a social function. And the Camaldoli Code reminds us that politics must begin from the bottom up, from the living reality of people and their needs.
