La stabilizzazione istituzionale della Conferenza episcopale italiana negli anni del Concilio Vaticano II

The participation of the Italian bishops in Vatican II through the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) leads the Italian episcopate towards a joint exercise of the episcopal ministry. The Italian Episcopal Conference, founded in 1952 only with the presidents of the regional episcopal conferences, does not live the experience of Vatican II with a strong and proven practice of meetings and debates on doctrinal topics, like many foreign episcopal conferences. Vatican II matured the Italian episcopate through the weekly plenary meetings at the Domus Mariae. During Vatican II these meetings represent a strong immersion in a national collegiality never lived. The CEI in the Council does not represent the "block" of the Italian bishops, but favors a mutual confrontation useful not only for the conciliar journey, but also for the maturation of an awareness of a common journey. At Vatican II the physiognomy of an "Italian" Church is outlined. Starting from Vatican II, Pope Montini put himself at the head of the Italian bishops as Primate of Italy and stimulated the CEI towards an institutional stabilization begun in the years of Vatican II.