Generación de Nuevo Conocimiento: Artículos publicados en revistas especializadas - Electrónicos
American views of the progressive catholic church in Brazil, 1964-1972: from suspicion to collaboration
Fecha
2017-07-01Autor
Romero, Sigifredo
Institución
Resumen
Both the United States and the Brazilian Catholic Church played decisive roles
during the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil between 1964 and 1985. Therefore,
an understanding of the relationship between these influential political actors is
imperative. This article explores American views of and interests in the Brazilian
Catholic Church through a critical examination, categorization, discourse
analysis and periodization of cables produced by the U.S. diplomatic mission in
Brazil from 1964 to 1972. It maintains that, in the ideological context of National
Security doctrine, the U.S. regarded the progressive Catholic movement, and
at some level the Church as a whole, as a threat. Nonetheless, starting in 1969,
after an intensification of political repression and the growing institutional
commitment of the Church to human rights defense, the American approach
changed from suspicion to collaboration for development. This article sheds
light on the changing political context during the Brazilian military regime.