SOCIETÀ CATTOLICA ITALIANA PER GLI STUDI SCIENTIFICI. – Association on a national basis, established among Italian Catholics at the beginning of the century, with the aim of promoting “by every means science in harmony with faith and the diffusion of culture among Italian Catholics” and of intensifying a “useful correspondence among scholars in individual disciplines and among the various Italian and foreign scientific societies” (art. 2 of the Statutes).
This was intended as a response to the pseudo-scientific campaign of prevailing positivism (which claimed to demonstrate the end of religious beliefs through the progress of science), by reaffirming that “between Revelation, safeguarded and interpreted by the Church, and the results of science, there can be no contradiction” (Statutes, art. 1). The Society, already advocated in a resolution of the Lombard episcopate (22 September 1896), arose in 1899 on the Callegari (v.) of Padua and Riboldi of Pavia, and of Prof. G. Toniolo (v.). The Society was divided into five sections: 1) religious, philosophical, and apologetic studies (from which the Rivista apologetica, founded and directed by Fr. Antonio da Trobaso in Vicenza, and la Scuola cattolica [v.] were promoted); 2) social, economic, juridical, and political studies, promoted by the Unione cattolica Italia (v.); 3) physical, natural, and mathematical studies (from which, in 1900, the Rivista di scienze fisiche e matematiche was promoted, directed by Msgr. Pietro Maffi); 4) historical studies (from which, in 1904–1908, the Rivista di scienze storiche was promoted, directed by Msgr. Maiocchi); 5) philological, literary, and foreign studies. The Society ceased to exist in 1910. It promoted the establishment of scientific-cultural libraries and scientific works, instituting prizes and scholarships for advanced courses.