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{{Infobox political party
|name               = Caritist Social Union
|native_name        = Caritarisēx Askolānura
|lang1              = 
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|logo               = File:Centro Democrático y Social (corto).png
| colorcode         = #FFD700
|leader             =
|chairperson        = 
|president          = 
|secretary_general  = [[Ignatiur Aliptekon]]
|spokesperson       = 
|founder            =
|leader1_title      = Caucus Chair
|leader1_name       = [[Águstín Pandéla]] 
|leader2_title      = Whip
|leader2_name       = [[Devar Èvigador]]
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|slogan             =
|founded            = [[1979|21159]]
|dissolved          = 
|merger             = Christian Democrats<br>Distributist Labour Union<br>Humanist caucus
|split              =
|predecessor        = 
|merged             = 
|successor          = 
|headquarters       = 611 Merced Avenue, [[Kartika]], [[District of Coïnvra]]
|newspaper          = ''Just Commonwealth''
|student_wing       = University Caritists
|youth_wing         = 
|wing1_title        = Labour wing
|wing1              = Federation of Christian Trade Unions
|wing2_title        = 
|wing2              = 
|wing3_title        = 
|wing3              =
|membership_year    = [[2024|21204]]
|membership         = 4.2 billion
|ideology           = {{wp|Christian democracy}}<br>{{wp|Distributism}}<br>{{wp|Subsidiarity}}<br><small>'''factions:'''</small><br>{{wp|Ordoliberalism}}<br>{{wp|Integral humanism}}<br>{{wp|Christian left}}<br>{{wp|Agrarianism}}
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|seats1_title       = [[Federal Stanora]]
|seats1             = {{Infobox political party/seats|133|545|Gold}}
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}}

The '''Caritist Social Union''' is a caucus of political parties and independent politicians in the [[Kiravian Stanora]] united by {{wp|Distributism|distributist}} and {{wp|Christian democracy|Christian-democratic}} ideals. The Caritists are the currently the second-largest caucus in the Stanora, and are the leading party in opposition to the ruling [[Shaftonist-Republican Alliance]].

==History==
Coscivian civilisation has a long history of religiously-inspired political movements seeking social and economic justice, beginning with demands for peasants'rights in Ancient Helska lead by Komarist clerics, continuing to the social movements to improve the welfare of women, orphans, the poor, and the mentally ill that expanded with the rise of Ruricanism in Western Éorsa, and finally coming to full force with the arrival of Christianity in the Northwest Islands. The [[Ĥeldican Coscivians|ethnic Ĥeldican]] communities that gave Christianity its first converts in Coscivia gave the Church a central role in their society not only as a moral and spiritual authority, but also as an institution for education, healthcare, and support for the economically disadvantaged. Although the organic, communitarian nature of the Church weakened as Christianity spread into Western, Southern, and Central Éorsa where state institutions were better established, the state was still conceived of primarily as a mechanism for providing security and upholding law and order, and the majority of social services were undertaken by Christian, Rurican, or other religious orders.

-Indigenous Coscivian Christian Humanists-

-Contact with Western ideas-
-Rise of Distributism-
-Opposition to Kirosocialism-
-Post-Kirosocialism-

==Platform==
The Caritist Social Union claims a platform based on {{wp|distributist}} and {{wp|Christian democratic}} thought, with influences from {{wp|ordoliberal economics}}, and the {{wp|Christian left}} on certain issues and within certain factions. In its contemporary position, the CSU acts mainly to represent the concerns many Kiravians have about the {{wp|economic liberal}} agenda pursued by the [[Shaftonist-Republican Alliance]]. It advocates a more expressly humanistic approach to economic policy, broadly characterised by more widespread ownership of productive property and housing, decentralisation, class collaboration, a preponderance of small and medium enterprises, a communitarian approach to social welfare and public services, and "more humane" labour laws. Some CSU members endorse the {{wp|social market economy}} as the best policy framework for Kiravia, while others call for an economic structure closer to classical distributism. Minority factions within the caucus prefer approaches reminiscent of the {{wp|Third Way}} or social democracy.

Inspired by Christian ethics (particularly {{wp|Catholic social teaching}}), the CSU holds strong positions on bioethics and on life issues. While all of the major caucuses in Kiravian politics can be considered socially conservative by modern Western standards, the CSU is more keen on upholding public morality through legislation than either the SRA or KFA. It supports the abolition of capital punishment for "ordinary domestic crimes in cases where life imprisonment would not endanger the public", strict regulations on in vitro fertilisation.

===Foreign Policy===
The CSU platform on foreign policy is seen as a moderate one, but differs from those of the other caucuses on a number of points. Though seen as less militaristic than the SRA and CNC, it is supportive of multilateral military undertakings and humanitarian operations within the framework of {{wp|just war theory}}. In geopolitics, the preponderance of devout Urceopolitan Catholics in the caucus' leadership has led the CSU to support stronger ties with [[Levantia]] and have a rather favourable attitude toward Levantian continental integration, while having a colder stance with regards to Imperial Catholic Heku and the prospect of integration with the Protestant and heterodox nations of [[Crona]]. As such, it has consistently voted to prioritise the Federacy's participation in and financial contributions to the [[KATI]] over its involvement with the [[CUDA]] and [[CKOCA]]. While not categorically opposed to free trade agreements, the caucus advocates a cautious approach to them, and has pushed for the Federacy to be more selective about which economies it allows free trade with. 

The CSU has long been split on  the issue of Kiravian colonisation of inhabited territories. While some elements within the party welcome colonial enterprises on distributistic grounds (as opportunities to increase land and housing ownership) and for their evangelistic potential, others (especially Christian socialists) oppose them as campaigns of expropriation and coërcion that violate the natural rights of the natives.

===Stated Policy Goals===
Although the CSU itself is only a political actor on the federal level, it also serves as a consultative and cooperative forum for member-parties and independent members participating in the governance of the various federal subjects. As such, the common platforms adopted at CSU triennial conferences address policies to be pursued on both the national and state levels.

*Reintroduce {{wp|Constitution_of_Ireland#Directive_Principles_of_Social_Policy|directive principles of public and social policy}} to the Fundamental Statute (constitution), in order to compel the federal government of uphold social and economic justice and the dignity of the human person.
*"Forty acres, a cow, and a broadband connection" - Distributism for the digital age.
*Introduce stronger protections for genetic privacy and stronger safeguards against genetic discrimination, including adding a right to genetic privacy to the [[Statute of Liberties]].
*Reform tax codes (state and federal) and incorporation laws to incentivise the creation of {{wp|cooperatives|coöperatives}}
*Reform financial regulations to curb {{wp|speculation}}, reduce leverage, and promote the proliferation of {{wp|credit unions}}
*Introduce targeted initiatives for gradual {{wp|land reform}} in areas where oligopolies on agricultural land are arresting economic and human development.
*Promote government investment and research in the field of renewable energy

===Internal Tendencies===
The CSU embraces a heterogeneous variety of parties and supporters, which have come to constitute distinct ideological tendencies within the caucus. Largest and most influential among these are the '''Institutional Caritists''' and the '''

Institutional Caritists tend to identify most strongly with the Christian democratic tradition and view distributism as a long-term goal to be achieved by gradual, principled reforms of the liberal capitalist system. Institutional Caritists tend to be of Éorsan Coscivian background, religiously oriented toward Urceopolitan Catholicism, Coscivian Orthodoxy, or Ruricanism, hail from economically-developed states and represent republican- and upper-demcoratic class interests, as well as those of landowning farmers. Institutional Caritist parties are usually affiliated with the Union of Christian & Centrist Democrats.

_______ Caritists tend to identify most strongly with classical distributism and are influenced by Christian socialist and related Coscivian Monotheïst ideas. They view a distributistic society as a near-term goal and aggressively pursue agenda such as land, labour, and banking reforms in order to implement distributism. They are more likely to be of New Coscivian, Coscivian mestiço, or non-Coscivian backgrounds, and are usually oriented toward Marcevangelista Catholicism, Protestantism, or the {{wp|emerging church movement}}. They often hail from less-developed areas of the Federacy, represent the interests of the working poor, landless farmers, and colonial natives. ______ Caritist parties are usually affiliated with the Distributist Labour Alliance.

There is also a more definitively religious socialist wing within the party, organised through the Spiritual Socialist Solidarity Union, as well as a minor further-left movement of Christian communists, Tolstoyans, and radical  pacifists. A few state parties advocating Vistrionist distributism are organised into the General Distributist Conference of Kiravia (Vistionist). 
===Religion===
The Caritist movement and the CSU itself are strongly associated with Roman Catholicism, and the caucus enjoys strong support from members of the [[Coscivian Catholic Church]], [[Marcevangelista Catholic Church]] and independent Catholic movements. Although Catholics make up only a minority of CSU voters and Delegates, they are overrepresented in leadership positions and state-level party jobs. Especially on the state level, the CSU's firmest strongholds are in areas with large Catholic communities, such as the Farravonian [[Rosary Belt]], Medinesia, [[Andrēdan|Andrēdan's]] County Parr, and Manētuva Island in [[Sydona Isles|Sydona]].

==Voter Base==
As the second-largest caucus in the Federal Stanora, the CSU draws on a large popular support base, embracing many sectors of Kiravian society. Demographics with particularly strong CSU voting patterns include the urban working class, [[Peninsular Coscivians]], [[Deep South Coscivians]], Ardóniem and Buryóniem Coscivians, Kastrovem Coscivians, Lusem Coscivians, Roman Catholics (excepting Traditionalists, who lean more towards the [[Caucus of Justice|CoR]]), Síkutem and Southern Peninsular Coscivians, Woolzi-Kiravians, Serradem and Aboriginal tribes practising Catholicism, enfranchised colonial natives, Éilpanem of the St. Margaret Islands, monoreligious Ruricans, middle-class families in micropolitan and semi-rural areas, Methodists, high-church Lutherans, and members of small non-Coscivian religious minorities.

The CSU performs well among farmers with small to medium landholdings, especially the ''sirētur'' class of investor-farmers in the Mid-Oceanic states. Larger landowners are more likely to favour Caucus of Justice affiliated parties. In some CSU parties are competitive among tenant farmers, landless agricultural labourers, and poorer landowning farmers in the inland states, but these tend to vote for a wider range of parties, including the Social Credit Party, smaller agrarian parties affiliated with the KFA, and Kisosocialist parties.

The CSU collects the largest share of the non-Coscivian vote, a fact attributed to its positive stance towards colonial natives and the economic lower classes that non-Coscivians in Kiravia are concentrated in, as well as its stronger universalistic ethos drawing on Christian and humanistic principles. This contrasts with the wholesale Coscivian nationalism of the [[Coscivian National Congress|CNC]], softer civilisational rhetoric of the SRA, and the Caucus of Justice's dedication to ethnosocial, regional, tribal, and Coscivian identities. It also performs best with female voters.

==Electoral Performance==
{| class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" | Election
! scope="col" | Seats
! scope="col" | Outcome of election
|-
| [[Kiravian federal election, 21197|21197]]
| {{Infobox political party/seats|108|545|hex=#FFD700}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Shaftonist-Republican Alliance|Shaftonist-Republican]] victory
|-
| [[Kiravian federal election, 21200|21200]]
| {{Infobox political party/seats|112|545|hex=#FFD700}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Shaftonist-Republican Alliance|Shaftonist-Republican]] victory
|-
| [[Kiravian federal election, 21203|21203]]
| {{Infobox political party/seats|133|545|hex=#FFD700}}
| style="text-align: left;" | [[Shaftonist-Republican Alliance|SRA]]-led minority government
|-
| [[Kiravian federal election, 21206|21206]]
| {{Infobox political party/seats|142|554|hex=#FFD700}}
| style="text-align: left;" | '''CSU-led minority government'''
|-
|}

==Member Parties==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!State
!Party
!Conference
!Delegates
|-
||Alavora
||Popular Solidarity Party
||DLA
||{{Infobox political party/seats|1|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
||[[File:Aventurine_Bay_Flag.png|25px]] [[Aventurine Bay Colony|Aventurine Bay]]
||Collaborative Distributist Party
||DLA
||{{Infobox political party/seats|2|3|Orange}}
|-
||[[File:CasteraFlag.png|25px]] [[Castera]]
||Caritist Popular Party
||UCCD
||{{Infobox political party/seats|1|1|hex=Orange}}
|-
||[[Kiravian Landder|Landder]]
||Christian People's Party
||DLA
||{{Infobox political party/seats|3|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
||[[File:EtivéraFlag.png|25px]] [[Etivéra]]
||'''Popular Front'''<br>Commonwealth Party<br>People's Party<br>Christian Democratic Party<br>Christian Labour Party<br>Caritist Party
||
||{{Infobox political party/seats|2|7|hex=Orange}}
|-
||[[File:FarivaFlag.png|25px]] [[Fariva]]
||Commonwealth Party
||UCCD
||{{Infobox political party/seats|1|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
||[[File:HanoramFlag.png|25px]] [[Hanoram]]
||Solidarity Party
||DLA
||{{Infobox political party/seats|1|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
|| [[Idana]]
||Christian Democratic Party
||UCCD
||{{Infobox political party/seats|2|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
|rowspan=2|[[File:IrovasdraFlag.png|25px]] [[Irovasdra]]
||Commonwealth Party
||UCCD
||{{Infobox political party/seats|1|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
||''Celtic Distributist Party''
||DLA
||{{Infobox political party/seats|0|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
|-
|rowspan=3|[[File:IlfenóraFlag.png|25px]] [[Ilfenóra]]
|Caritist Republican Party
||UCCD
||{{Infobox political party/seats|1|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
||''Christian Social Party''
||UCCD
||{{Infobox political party/seats|0|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
||''Catholic Worker Party''
||SSS
||{{Infobox political party/seats|0|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
|rowspan=5|[[File:KiygravaFlag.png|25px]] [[Kiygrava]]
||''Caritist Democratic Union''
||UCCD
||{{Infobox political party/seats|0|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
||''Metropolitan Distributist Party''
||UCCD
||{{Infobox political party/seats|0|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
||''Distributist Labour Party''
||DLA
||{{Infobox political party/seats|0|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
||''Christian Social Party''
||SSS
||{{Infobox political party/seats|0|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
||''Kiygravan Family Party''
|| -
||{{Infobox political party/seats|0|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
||[[File:Metrea_Flag.png|25px]] [[Metrea]]
||Caritist Republican Party
||UCCD
||{{Infobox political party/seats|1|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
|rowspan=2|[[File:NiyaskaFlag.png|25px]] [[Niyaska]]
||Popular Party-Christian Democrats
||UCCD
||{{Infobox political party/seats|1|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
||''Popular Alternative Party''
||UCCD
||{{Infobox political party/seats|0|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
||[[File:SydonaIslandsFlag.png|25px]] [[Sydona Islands]]
||Coscivian People's Party
||UCCD
||{{Infobox political party/seats|2|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
|rowspan=2|[[File:Tryhstian Flag.png|25px]] [[Tryhstian Littoral]]
||Partido Social-Cristão
||UCCD
||{{Infobox political party/seats|2|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
||''Partido da Solidariedade Integral''
||DLA
||{{Infobox political party/seats|0|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
||[[File:VarisaviaFlag.png|25px]] [[Varisavia]]
||Varisavian Popular Party<br>Katryn's Distributist Party<br>Christian Labour Party
||UCCD<br>DLA<br>DLA
||{{Infobox political party/seats|1|3|hex=Orange}}
|-
|}
===Observer Organisations===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!State
!Organisation
!Notes
|-
|style="text-align:center" | [[File:KiravianFlag.png|25px]]<br>Nationwide
||Catholic Rural Life Federation
||Civil society group involved in {{wp|rural development}} and advocating agrarian distributism
|-
|style="text-align:center" | [[File:KiravianFlag.png|25px]]<br>Nationwide
||Catholic Worker Political Committee
||{{wp|Communitarian}} and {{wp|personalist}} group associated with the Catholic Worker Movement
|-
|style="text-align:center" | [[File:KiravianFlag.png|25px]]<br>Nationwide
||Federation of Christian Trade Unions
||The ''de facto'' labour wing of the CSU
|-
|-
|style="text-align:center" | [[File:EtivéraFlag.png|25px]]<br>[[Etivéra]]
||Mid-Oceanic Society of Freeholders
||Represents the ''sivētur'' investor-farmer class of the eastern coastal states
|-
|style="text-align:center" | [[File:CoïnvraFlag.png|25px]]<br>[[District of Coïnvra]]
||Social Capital
||{{wp|Extra-parliamentary opposition|Extraparliamentary}} association of the {{wp|Christian left}} operating as a pressure group in the capital district, where political parties have been banned since {{H:title|1988 AD|21168}}
|-
|style="text-align:center" | [[File:IbykiaFlag.png|25px]]<br>[[Ibykia]]
||New Democratic Party
||A Christian-democratic party active in the advisory Representative Assembly of Ibykia
|-
|style="text-align:center" | [[File:CascadaFlag.png|25px]]<br>[[Cascada]]
||Society of Good Neighbours
||[[Mormonism|Mormon]]-inspired pressure group formed to give a political voice to the Latter-Day Saint community in Cascada.
|-
|}
[[Category:KRV]]
[[Category:Political parties]]
[[Category:Kiravian political organisations]]
[[Category:Christian democratic parties in Ixnay]]
[[Category:Distributist parties in Ixnay]]
[[Category:Ixnay]]

[[Category:IXWB]]