ABSTRACT
Italian Catholics were hostile towards neorealism because it was considered near to the left. Nevertheless, neorealism was the most important cultural phenomenon in post-war Italy. Indeed, at the 1950 Venice Festival, Stromboli was presented out of competition on August 26, the same day as Roberto Rossellini's Francesco giullare di Dio, which prompted the press to 'baptize' this as 'Rossellini day'. The Venice presentation of Europa' 51 endorsement not even succeeded in making Sala director the pioneer of Catholic neorealism. On the contrary, it further sharpened opposition between ecclesiastical hierarchies and the 'triple alliance' of Felix Morlion, Giulio Andreotti and Gian Luigi Rondi, who had invested in such a controversial figure. According to the Vatican, Rossellini remained a sinner, who in addition made films that deviated substantially from Mor-lion's writings, Rondi's reviews and Andreotti's expectations. Although he sought Catholic support, Rossellini always made his personal viewpoint prevail.
