LIBERTÀ DI INSEGNAMENTO COME LIBERTÀ DI COSCIENZA. LA TEORIA POLITICA DI VITO D’ONDES REGGIO NEGLI ANNI SESSANTA DELL’OTTOCENTO TRA ECHI GIUSNATURALISTICI E POSITIVISMO

(FREEDOM OF EDUCATION AS FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE. THE POLITICAL THEORY OF VITO D’ONDES REGGIO ECHOING NATURAL LAW AND POSITIVISM IN THE 1860S) The paper aims to examine the parliamentary role of a distinguished jurist, the Sicilian Baron Vito D’Ondes Reggio (Palermo, 1811 – Firenze, 1885), during the process of unification. From 1861, he fiercely opposed the policy of centralization implemented by Cavour. At the same time, he defended the interests of the Catholic Church against the ecclesiastical legislation of liberal governments and fought to maintain the Pope’s sovereign rights, prerogatives, and inviolability. In 1866, as a representative of an uncompromising Catholic social movement, D’Ondes Reggio began his parliamentary battle against the State monopoly of education, and decided to submit a legislative proposal to implement freedom of education.He submitted a bill on this matter to the Chamber of Deputies on December 14th, 1868. The political steps taken by the Savoy monarchy, culminating in the annexation of the Papal State to the Kingdom of Italy, prompted his resignation as a Member of Parliament.