The "cultural battle": analysis of an expression that both reveals and conceals

The expression "cultural battle" has become ubiquitous in public debate. But what exactly does it refer to? Isabelle de Franclieu examines the uses of a term that can both name a serious reality and obscure its true stakes.

The Fact

The article reported by our sources (June 23, 2026) questions the omnipresence of the expression "cultural battle" in the French and European public debate. The phrase, popularized notably by readings of Gramsci in the 1970s, refers to the conquest of minds and cultural institutions as a prerequisite or alternative to direct political conquest.

Our Perspective

The expression names something real: ideas and social norms are not neutral. They convey visions of humanity and conceptions of the good life. But it carries a risk: reducing every question of truth to a power struggle. If Catholic bioethics is merely a weapon in a battle, its truth value becomes secondary to its strategic effectiveness. The Catholic tradition distinguishes apologetics—which appeals to the intellect—from propaganda, which manipulates. Benedict XVI clarifies this in Deus Caritas Est (n. 28a): the Church cannot take the place of the State to create the most just society, but it also cannot remain on the sidelines in the struggle for justice. It is a participation in truth, not a strategy of conquest.

To Ponder

Bearing witness to the truth with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15-16): not a strategy of conquest, but an offer of dialogue rooted in the certainty that truth does not need violence to prevail.