Social Christians (Cristiano Sociali, CS) is a Christian social-democratic faction within the Democratic Party, a political party in Italy.
The group was founded as a party by trade-union leader Pierre Carniti and economist Ermanno Gorrieri and, since their foundation in 1993 in order to represent progressive Catholics and left-wing Christian Democrats in the Alliance of Progressives. In 1998 Social Christians contributed to the foundation of the Democrats of the Left and were later a faction within that party. In 2007 they were keen supporters of the foundation of the Democratic Party and most of its members were very close to the first party leader Walter Veltroni.
In the 2009 Democratic Party leadership election the faction chose to support Pier Luigi Bersani, while two former leading Social Christians, Giorgio Tonini and Stefano Ceccanti, who had been close aides to Walter Veltroni, supported Dario Franceschini.
The group currently counts 5,500 members, one deputy (Fabio Porta), three senators (Mimmo Lucà, Donata Lenzi and Paolo Corsini), four regional and more than 200 provincial and municipal councillors. Social Christians are a member of the International League of Religious Socialists.
Read more about Social Christians: Leadership
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