Interactions between politics and religion are frequently reduced to mediatiz ed and politicized ethical and civilizational issues. Focusing instead on the role of religious - here Catholics - actors in the local experiences of social economy and welfare in times of economic crisis helps instead to highlight the discrete interactions between politics and religion . In particular, the strong involvement of religious actors, beyond their traditional charity - oriented activity, also concerns more solidarity - oriented socioeconomic experiences as well as political advocacy . These articulations generate new forms of politicization with respect to both social movements and policy makers. These issues are addressed here comparatively in a Spanish (Basque Autonomous Community) and an Italian (Emilia - Romagna) region.
