integralist

Integralist refers to a follower or advocate of integralism, a doctrine that seeks to harmonize political authority with a comprehensive, often religiously framed, order. In its most developed form, integralism argues that the moral and spiritual dimension of life should guide civil society and that political power should be organized to reflect a unified, transcendent order. The term is most closely associated with Catholic political theology, although the general idea of striving for total or holistic integration has appeared in other contexts. Adherents typically emphasize the unity of church and state, the authority of religious leadership in public life, and the subsuming of pluralist or liberal arrangements under a single overarching framework. Critics describe integralism as anti-liberal or anti-democratic when it privileges religious authority over individual rights or minority protections.

Catholic integralism developed in Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries as a reaction against liberalism and secularization. Proponents argued that civil order should reflect a divinely ordered moral framework and that church authority should influence or guide political life. The form and scope of this influence varied by country, with some versions favoring strong monarchical or ecclesial authority and others advocating close cooperation between church and state within a constitutional framework.

A notable historical manifestation occurred in Brazil in the 1930s, with the Integralistas led by Plínio Salgado. The movement organized supporters in distinctive dress, combining nationalist rhetoric with Catholic symbolism and a corporatist, anti-communist program. It was repressed by Getúlio Vargas’s regime, but its legacy continues to surface in discussions of church-state relations and the limits of liberal pluralism.

See also: integralism, Catholic social teaching, church-state relations.