Anyone who is interested in the deeper dynamics of our current political crisis should be reading Del Noce. Period. It's absolutely stunning how prophetic and prescient he was. Woke capitalism. Marxist revolutionary students against the proletariat. The banality of this revolt.

I'm struck this morning by his description of the four possible responses to this "banal revolution" by Catholics, which appears in his essay "Political Predicaments of Catholics," in the collection "The Age of Secularization" masterfully translated by @_CLancellotti

1. There is the hopes pinned on "separation of Church and State," the Murrayite project that sought to align Catholics with the Protestantism of the American founding. These are the folks who celebrate "the blessings of liberty."

2. There is the effort to secure "inner perfection," once Christians acknowledge "their status as a minority." The Church of the Catacombs. This is an anticipation of @roddreher 's Benedict Option.

3. Then there is what he describes as a "traditionalist" recognition of a irreconcilable divide between modern secularism and Catholicism. Each have their "absolute value." The Catholic political response relies upon "political authority enforce respect for [theirs]."

This effort will require a political "alliance with conservative forces." A remarkably prescient description of Integralism, most visibly advanced by @Vermeullarmine

4. Lastly there is "Catholic progressivism," which argues that modernity "imposes an altogether new presentation of Christian truths." Del Noce frequently regarded this as an inherently failed project, one destined to fuse with the new Marxism of an atheist society.

Here's what's interesting, and correct me if I'm wrong, @_CLancellotti : I don't think Del Noce signed on to any of these "options." His is a distinct option, maybe ultimately too supple and philosophic for political realization, but absolutely requires study and discussion.

If one were to characterize this project, it would begin not with how to solve the political problem, but with the metaphysical, ethical, and theological problem of modernity. This requires an understanding of the modern turn, especially the fusing of Enlightenment and Marx.