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Radicalism in the Argentine Catholic Church

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2014

John T. Deiner
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Extract

ON 11 MAY 1974 FATHER MUGICA, A LEADING SPOKESMAN OF THE Movement of Priests for the Third World (MPTW) and a pro- Peronist, was machine-gunned to death as he left his church in a working-class neighbourhood after celebrating mass. Once again the Catholic Church in Argentina called for peace and understanding as the proper path for Argentines, and the MPTW issued a long statement condemning the use of violence. Nevertheless, the common pleas by the two factions of the Church in Argentina have had little visible effect in stopping the violence through which Argentina is now suffering. In order to understand how the political and doctrinal differences from within the Church in Argentina have influenced in the past and will continue to influence the political developments in Argentina it is first necessary to look at the background of the problem.

Type
Article
Information
Government and Opposition , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , 01 January 1975 , pp. 70 - 89
Copyright
Copyright © Government and Opposition Ltd 1975

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References

1 The Cordobazo refers to a period of violence and rioting which broke out in the city of Córdoba in May 1969. Workers and students took to the streets in protest against the policies of the military government. There was extensive damage, many injuries, and a number of people were killed. The police were helpless, and it was ultimately necessary to send in regular army troops to restore order in the city.

2 Juan Perón ruled Argentina from 1946 to 1955.

3 Quoted in The Second Vatican Council: Studies By Eight Anglican Observers, Bernard C. Pawley (ed.), Oxford University Press, London, 1967, p. 224.

4 Ibid., pp. 224–5. The complete documents of Vatican II, along with comments, may also be found in Abbott, Walter M. s.j. (general editor), The Documents of Vatican 11: All Sixteen Official Texts Promulgated By The Ecumenical Council, 1963–1965 (Herder & Herder/Association Press, New York, 1966).Google Scholar

5 The Church In The Present‐Day Transformation of Latin America In The Light of The Council, Vol. I Position Papers, Vol. 2 Conclusions, written by the General Secretariat of CELAM. English version edited by Luis Michael Colonnese. Division for Latin America, United States Catholic Conference, Washington, D.C., 1970, Vol. II, p. 66. (hereafter cited as Medellin docs.)

6 The ‘Message to the People of the Third World’ was published in the French weekly Temoignage Chrétien in 1967, and reprinted in LADOC, Washington, D.C., I, 16July 1970.

7 Pope Paul VI issued the encyclical Populorum Progressio in March 1967. The encyclical calls on all men to work to lessen inequalities between ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’, both individuals and nations. It argues that the phenomenon of the rich growing richer while the poor remain poor has a potential for violence, and urges rich nations to work to alleviate this situation by sharing in the development costs of poor nations. The encyclical argues against revolution as basically destructive, but also states that in certain cases revolution cannot be condemned where tyranny has been of long duration and clearly detrimental to both individual rights and the common good. The encyclical thus strengthens and supports the political and social ideas of Vatican II, and focuses those ideas specifically on developing nations.

8 Quoted in LADOC: I, 15 July 1970.

9 Jerónimo, Buenos Aires, August 1970: quoted in LADOC: I, 423, pp. 1–8.

10 Text printed in Esquiú, Buenos Aires Catholic weekly, 28 September 1969; reprinted in LADOC: I, 16 July 1970.

11 Ibid.

12 Ibid.

13 An MPTW statement quoted in NADOC, Lima, Peru, No. 147, 3 June 1970.

14 LADOC: I, 42a, December 1970, p. 5.

15 Jerónimo Buenos Aires, August 1970, quoted in LADOC: I, 42a, p. 7.

16 Quoted in NADOC, No. 147, 3 June 1970.

17 Ibid.

18 Herder Correspondence, Vol. 6, No. 10, October 1969, p. 313.

19 Carbone’ statement was printed in its entirety in Teología de la Liberation, Bogota, Colombia, February 1971—Document 011.

20 The quotation is from a statement by Miguel Ramondetti, secretary general of the MPTW, National Catholic News Service, Foreign, 22 July 1970, p. 7.

21 Latin America, 18 September 1970, and 25 September 1970.

22 See also, Carlos Golán, ‘iQuienes son los Curas del Tercer Mundo?’Cristina, Buenos Aires, No. 917, November 1971, pp. 38–9.

23 La Razón, Buenos Aires, 4 August 1971.

24 Enlace, No. 18, September—October 1971.

25 Ibid.

26 Oliva, Francisco de P. s.j. ‘Movimiento de Sacerdotes para el Tercer Mundo’, Ceniap, Mexico, 15 11 1971, p. 8.Google Scholar

27 Betancourt, Alfonso, ‘Actitud Violenta de Tercermundistas’, NADOC Lima, 6 09 1972, No. 268, p. 3.Google Scholar

28 General Declaration, Fifth National Meeting of MPTW, NADOC, Lima, 6 September 1972, No. 268, p. 4.

29 Perón’ message is quoted in LADOC: II, September 1971.

30 ‘Carta del Tercer Mundo a la Conferencia Episcopal Argentina’, in NADOC, 6 December 1972, No. 229, p. 3.

31 Ibid., p. 8.

32 Latin America Calls, Washington, D.C., Vol. 10, No. 2, February 1973.

33 Ibid., August—September 1973.

34 La Natión, Buenos Aires, 13 May 1974.

35 See ‘La Iglesia’, Cias (Buenos Aires), December 1969, and Bono, Agostino, ‘Life Bitter For Priests In Argentina’, National Catholic Reporter, 1 09 1972.Google Scholar