Italian Jesuits and the Great War: Chaplains and Priest-Soldiers of the Province of Rome

This essay traces the history of the assistance afforded to soldiers by Italian military chaplains during First World War. It focuses on the Catholics’ commitment to permeating the army, with the foundation of clubs and the printing of texts containing instructions and prayers for the spiritual training of enlisted men. These books show a more patriotic inspiration than their predecessors, because for the Roman Church conquering the army meant conquering the Italian unitary state. In particular, the article reconstructs the role of the Jesuit Carlo Massaruti, the author of a book for soldiers and promoter of an association for recruits before the war. The chaplains and priest-soldiers mobilized, however, were many and various. Their experience is highlighted in L’Eco dei nostri militari, a bulletin founded by the Roman province of the Society, which published the correspondence between the priests on the front and their provincial superiors. These letters furnish a vivid fresco of the work done by the Jesuits alongside the soldiers.