L’evoluzione delle competenze in materia ecclesiastica nel Regno d’Italia (1861-1946)

The essay traces the main lines of development in the administrative competences concerning ecclesiastical affairs during the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946), highlighting the transition from liberal jurisdictionalism to Fascist centralisation. Following unification, the State retained special control over the patrimonial management of ecclesiastical property and the approval of canonical acts (through the «placet» and «exequatur», in example). With the 1929 «Conciliazione» and the Lateran Pacts, many jurisdictionalist mechanisms were abolished and replaced by forms of coordination. Administrative competences were also reorganised along political lines, with powers increasingly concentrated in the Ministry of the Interior. Despite emerging from distinct ideological premises, the system introduced under fascism largely retained its structure during the transition to the Republic, reflecting administrative continuity rather than drastic change.