Christian Associations of Italian Workers

The Christian Associations of Italian Workers (Associazioni Cristiane dei Lavoratori Italiani, ACLI; alternatively translated as Italian Christian Workers' Association){{Citation |first=Jacqueline |last=Andall |title=Organizing Domestic Workers in Italy: The Challenge of Gender, Class and Ethnicity |work=Gender and Migration in Southern Europe: Women on the Move |publisher=Berg |year=2000 |page=148}} are a widespread lay Catholic association in Italy. Its work is based on the Catholic social teaching.

The ACLI were founded in 1944 in reaction to the decision by Catholic trade unionists to take part to the foundation of the unitary Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL).{{cite web|url=http://www.acli.it/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=56&Itemid=74 |title=Come nascono le Acli |publisher=Acli.it |date= |accessdate=2014-01-05}} In 1948 ACLI leaders contributed to the foundation of the Italian Confederation of Workers' Trade Unions (CISL), a Christian-oriented split from the CGIL, which had come under Communist influence. The ACLI first leader, Achille Grandi, was a Christian Democratic member of the Constituent Assembly.{{cite web|author=La Camera dei Deputati |url=http://legislature.camera.it/chiosco.asp?content=altre_sezioni/assemblea_costituente/composizione/costituenti/framedeputato.asp?Deputato=d27990&position=Assemblea%20Costituente%20\%20I%20gruppi |title=La Camera dei Deputati |publisher=Legislature.camera.it |date= |accessdate=2014-01-05}}

During the leadership of Livio Labor (1961–1969), who would later form a left-wing party named Workers' Political Movement (MPL) and be elected senator for the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) in 1976, the ACLI broke their ties with the DC.{{cite web|url=http://www.aclilombardia.it/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=144&Itemid=72 |title=Acli Lombardia |publisher=Aclilombardia.it |date=2013-10-30 |accessdate=2014-01-05}}{{cite web|url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/livio-labor_%28Dizionario_Biografico%29/ |title=Livio Labor in Dizionario Biografico – Treccani |publisher=Treccani.it |date= |accessdate=2014-01-05}}{{cite web|url=http://www.acli.it/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3292:livio-labor&Itemid=76 |title=Livio Labor |publisher=Acli.it |date= |accessdate=2014-01-05}} Under Emilio Gabaglio (1969–1972), who proposed a "socialist ipothesis", the ACLI went further to the left. Gabaglio was criticized by Labor and the ACLI, which suffered the split of the Workers Christian Movement in 1970, were deplored by Pope Paul VI in 1971.{{cite web |url=http://www.acli.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3293:emilio-gabaglio&catid=40&Itemid=73 |title=Le notizie |publisher=Acli.it |accessdate=2014-01-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111031092041/http://www.acli.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3293%3Aemilio-gabaglio&catid=40&Itemid=73 |archive-date=2011-10-31 }} Under Marino Carboni (1972–1976) the ACLI made "peace" with the Catholic hierarchy and re-established their "collateralism" with the DC.

The ACLI used to have great influence on Italian society and politics. Most of their leaders played an active role in politics.{{cite web |url=http://www.acli.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=76 |title=Le notizie |publisher=Acli.it |accessdate=2014-01-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130702121825/http://www.acli.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=76 |archive-date=2013-07-02 }} In 1994, when the DC was dissolved, most ACLI members joined the Italian People's Party (PPI), with the notable exceptions of Gabaglio and Franco Passuello (1994–1998), who joined the Social Christians (CS) and later the Democrats of the Left (DS).{{cite web |url=http://www.partitodemocratico.it/utenti/profilo.htm?id=3277 |title=Emilio Gabaglio - Profilo personale | Partito Democratico |publisher=Partitodemocratico.it |accessdate=2014-01-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106040534/http://www.partitodemocratico.it/utenti/profilo.htm?id=3277 |archive-date=2014-01-06 }}{{cite web|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2000/gennaio/17/flop_Passuello_uomo_nuovo_della_co_0_0001173754.shtml |title=Il flop di Passuello, uomo nuovo della Quercia |publisher=Archiviostorico.corriere.it |date= |accessdate=2014-01-05}} Giovanni Bianchi (1987–1994) was the president of the PPI from 1994 to 1997. More recently, Luigi Bobba (1998–2006) was elected senator for the Democratic Party (PD), the party born in 2007 upon the union of Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy (DL), in which the PPI was merged in 2002, with the DS, while Andrea Olivero (2006–2013) was successively active in Civic Choice (SC), the Populars for Italy (PpI) and Solidary Democracy (DemoS).