Article contents
The Christian Left in Latin American Politics
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2018
Extract
After decades of neglect, interest in the political significance of Latin American Catholicism increased sharply in the late 1960s when it began to appear that the Church might have unimagined potential for promoting social change, particularly in a continent plagued by social upheaval and political instability (Drekonja, 1971: 59-65). In both word and deed, the postconciliar Church manifested a changing social orientation which entailed open involvement in political issues on behalf of the poor. In fact, by August 1968 and the convening of the Council of Latin American Bishops (CELAM) in Medellín, Colombia, the Church seemed to be changing its social and political attitudes so profoundly that reports of a revolutionary Church began to accompany discussions of the political situation in Latin America. Since Medellín, an important literature has evolved from efforts to understand this change in Latin American Catholicism.
- Type
- Research Article
- Information
- Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs , Volume 21 , Issue 1: Special Issue: The Church and Politics in Latin America , February 1979 , pp. 45 - 68
- Copyright
- Copyright © University of Miami 1979
References
- 3
- Cited by