ABSTRACT
The complex history of theology and the university in Italy is the focus of this chapter. The political rupture between the Italian state and the Holy See in the late nineteenth century is the background to the story. An important response came in the twentieth century with efforts to introduce “civil” theology in departments of law and history. While important and interesting developments have taken place in the advent of the Second Vatican Council, there are still unresolved questions as to how theology, as an ecclesial discipline, can best cohabit within public and common spaces in Italy.
