Brigate Fiamme Verdi

The  Brigate Fiamme Verdi  (Green Flame Brigade) was an Italian Partisan Resistance Group, of predominantly Roman Catholic orientation, which operated in Italy during World War II.

The armed Italian Resistance comprised a number of contingents of differing ideological orientation - the largest being the Communist Brigate Garibaldi.

The Fiamme Verdi did not belong to the approximately 4% of Italian Resistance groups that were formal Catholic organisations, but instead was classed in the 21% of resistance groups that were "independent", in which, like the Osoppo group and others, the Fiamme Verdi was not formally a Catholic group, but had a very strong Catholic presence. Nevertheless, just as there were militant Catholics within the Garibaldi Brigade, so there were non-Catholics within the Fiamme Verdi. 191 priests were killed by fascists and 125 by the Germans, while 109 were killed by partisans. Though some priests joined pro-fascist bands, the Vatican backed the so-called anti-Fascist 'partisan chaplains' and 'red priests' fighting with the partisans, hoping that they would provide religious guidance to partisans being exposed to Communist propaganda.

The Fiamme Verdi was sometimes associated with the Democrazia Cristiana Party and was particularly active in Emilia and Lombardia. Notable members included Lionello Levi Sandri, who later served as a prominent Italian and European Commissioner.

See also 
Anti-fascism
Catholic Church and Nazi Germany
Christian Democracy (Italy)
Italian Civil War
National Liberation Committee
Rovetta massacre

References

External links 
Associazione Fiamme Verdi; website (Italian language)
Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d'Italia - Fiamme Verdi; website (Italian language).

Category:Modern history of Italy
Category:Italian Resistance
Category:World War II resistance movements
Category:Catholic resistance to Nazi Germany