Catholic Church in Latin America
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Background:

• More then 95% Catholic à Church has great influence in region.
• Until recently the Church sided with the ruling classes

à led to problems that must now be faced:

1. Social injustice: few states in Latin America which could be described as democratic / very uneven distribution of wealth.
2. Marxist influence: above problems meant there was a considerable interest shown by the oppressed in Marxism à many Marxist revolutions took place in Latin America
3. Role of Clergy: to what extent should the Church become politically involved? à conflict between:

• Catholic leadership in Rome / local leaders in LA
• More conservative bishops/cardinals in LA / local leaders in Latin America
• Conservative priests / activist priests

Other Important Problems:

• Rapidly expanding population in LA which has outstripped the ability of the economies of the states à in some countries 50% pop. are under age of 20 / small ratio of priests to Catholic pop. / many priests are foreigners who stay for temporary periods / drift of rural workers to the cities.

Difficult to respond given:

1. Problems associated w/ ‘machismo’ (lots of children means masculinity)
2. Vatican ruling on certain forms of birth control.

Response of the Catholic Church Leadership:

Development of Social doctrines:

1. Rerum Novarum (1891) see notes above.
2. Quadragessimo Anno (1931): placed the Church on the side of land-less laborers and in support of agrarian reform.

Both were critical of the prevailing ‘western’ capitalist values (i.e.: labor-market determination of wages.)

1968: Pope Paul VI at ‘International Eucharist Congress’ in LA

" We will continue to denounce unjust economic inequalities…"

"We take this opportunity to exhort all the Governments of Latin America…to persevere in…the reforms necessary for a more just and efficient social arrangement…"

"Allow us…to exhort you not to place your trust in violence and revolution — that is contrary to the Christian spirit"

1980:

"Pope John Paul reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church’s commitment to seek non-violent social change…"

"…he warned that the liberation of the poor and oppressed must be in accordance with Christian, and not Marxist, concepts."

Conflict between the South American Church and Rome:

• Clergyman in Sao Paulo: "This business of Roma locuta, causa finita [When Rome has spoken, the matter is ended] is a thing of the past"
• Brazilian theologian: "The Pope wants the Church united on everything from holy water to the Eucharist. I wonder if there is any longer a place for pluralism?"
• 1984 radical thinker Boff was censored by Rome which accused him of "a disastrous confusion between the poor of the scriptures and the proletariat of Marx"
• ‘Theology of Liberation’ (since early 1970s) à activist priests.

à politicization of the faith (see notes above)

Main Features of the Theology of Liberation:

The influence is "to a large extent due to Marx":

1. Advocating class struggle (Church ought to be active where people/social classes struggle…)
2. Advocating Marx’s idea of violent revolution: (revolutionary violence can be justified to bring change in the face of the institutionalized violence of the state.)
3. Marxist view of ‘good life on earth’: advocates salvation is not only some ‘other worldly’ condition but the construction of social justice in the existing world.
4. Believes that Christ was a political liberator (message of revolution in the Bible)
5. Advocates class consciousness: importance of education in generating social consciousness.

Theology of Liberation in action:

Brazil:

Progressive elements of the episcopate:

• Worked for a radical transformation of inherited socio-economic and political structures.
• Helped create an ecclesiastical climate which facilitated the emergence of liberation theology.

The Church emerged in Brazil as a major source of opposition to authoritarian rule, it:

• Helped produce leaders for mass opposition movements.
• Established Ecclesiastical Base Communities to help neighborhoods cop with the rigors of life.

Return to civilian rule in 1985 à less Church engagement in the political arena. Post Military Period:

• Yet, Church is still critical of the Gov.’s policies concerning the poor.
• Attacked Gov. on corruption and failure to address continuing economic and social problems (1988)
• Drew attention to the destruction of Amazonian forests.
• Refusal of some to participate in this emphasize still existing divisions btw progressives and conservatives.

Other Notes in this Category

1. Apartheid and the Dutch Reformed Church
2. Catholic Church in Latin America
3. Catholic Church in the 1990's
4. Christian Democracy : From Fascism to the CDU
5. Christianity in Politics
6. Islam and the state
7. Islam in Iran
8. Islam in Saudi Arabia
9. Orthodox Church in the USSR
10. Political Christ
11. The Position of Women in Islamic Society
12. Zionism and the State of Israel

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