Christians for Socialism

Christians for Socialism (Spanish: Cristianos por el socialismo; CPS) was a worldwide political and cultural movement focused on social inequality and economic injustice,[1] inspired by liberation theology.[2] It began in April 1971,[3] and first gained notoriety when a collection of eighty Chilean priests, known as the "Group of 80", publicly declared their support of the construction of socialism along the lines being followed by then-President Salvador Allende.[1][4] The Secretariat of Christians for Socialism was formally established in September 1973. The group was predominantly composed of Roman Catholic members of the Christian left who were inspired and spurred on by the Second Vatican Council.

Project

CPS was founded to counteract a presumption that Christian institutions were inherently opposed to socialism. While its founders found aspects of socialist programs that they wished to critique, they wanted to do so as insiders within the socialist movement, rather than as adversaries.[5] In keeping with this goal, leaders cultivated strong ties with Fidel Castro.[6] It was intended as a movement of active political involvement and participation,[6] and involved discussions bringing together current political events and church documents in light of each other.[7] CPS inspired a series of social programs in the public sector. Priests in CPS led union units and organized peasant federations.[1]

Antecedents

In Chile the immediate antecedent to CPS was the Iglesia Joven movement.[8] The Christian Associations of Italian Workers (ACLI) was very supportive and encouraged its growth there. Many of the young people who had been involved in the protests of 1968 soon adhered to the CPS movement as well.

Leaders

Prominent leaders include the Salesian priest Giulio Girardi and Lidia Menapace, who was also a significant figure in the Italian Catholic resistance during World War II. In Spain, Alfonso Carlos Comín was a key leader in establishing the movement. The theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez was also a member[9] and led sessions at all the major conferences.[7]

Suppression

CPS faced opposition from the start. Left-leaning priests from Brazil and Bolivia were supportive but unable to participate in gatherings due to severe police control.[1] CPS was short-lived in Chile, due to strong resistance from the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in Chile under the direction of Archbishop Carlos Oviedo.. In their letter condemning the movement, the bishops there argued that while the church speaks to "politics insofar as it underlies every social reality", it should not be involved in "partisan activity".[10] Clergy involved in the movement were banned from political participation altogether in April, 1973.[11] The movement was suppressed by the Chilean military government after the coup of 1973.[7]

Gatherings

A number of important gatherings have been held under the auspices of Christians for Socialism. In 1972, 400 members met for a week at a textile union hall, urging "class struggle [as] the only valid course to necessary social change in Latin America."[1] CPS brought together similar Latin American movements in the Latin American Meeting of Christians for Socialism 1974 in Santiago, Chile.

In 1975, the Christians for Socialism conference in Detroit, Michigan, formally introduced liberation theology to the United States.[7] This event was a significant convergence where black, feminist, and third-world anti-imperialist movements joined together and recognized each other as peers in the same process of liberation, while also strongly critiquing one another.[12] A detailed account of the meeting was published.[13]

Present day

The CPS group has as fundamental milestone the celebration of its annual conferences that are held in Spain, alternately in Madrid and Barcelona. CPS has a presence mainly in Madrid, Catalonia, Menorca and with individuals in different autonomous communities, such as Andalusia, Galicia, Aragon and others. At present, the CPS group remains within a larger movement called "Christian Networks", as a critical and reflective encounter in relation to the Church, Society and Politics.

See also

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 De Onis, Juan (4 May 1972). "Assembly in Chile Urges Socialism". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  2. ↑ Smith 1982, p. 232; Turner 1994, p. 8.
  3. ↑ Lies & Malone 2006, p. 91.
  4. ↑ Nessan 2012, p. 41.
  5. ↑ Smith 1991, p. 182.
  6. 1 2 Smith 1991, pp. 182ff.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Turner 1994, p. 8.
  8. ↑ Garcés 2011, p. 222; Hojman 1985, p. 72.
  9. ↑ Bell 2001, p. 80.
  10. ↑ Eagleson 1975, pp. 196f.
  11. ↑ Lies & Malone 2006, p. 92.
  12. ↑ Turner 1994, pp. 8f.
  13. ↑ Torres & Eagleson 1976.

Bibliography

Bell, Daniel M., Jr. (2001). Liberation Theology After the End of History: The Refusal to Cease Suffering. Radical Orthodoxy. London: Routledge (published 2005). ISBN 978-1-134-54583-4. 
Garcés, Mario (2011). "Chilean Social Movements in Confrontation with Neoliberalism". In de la Barra, Ximena. Neoliberalism's Fractured Showcase: Another Chile is Possible. Critical Global Studies. 3. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-18895-2. ISSN 1573-4234. 
Eagleson, John, ed. (1975). Christians and Socialism: Documentation of the Christians for Socialism Movement in Latin America. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books. 
Hojman, David E., ed. (1985). Chile After 1973: Elements for the Analysis of Military Rule. Centre for Latin American Studies Monograph Series. 12. Centre for Latin American Studies, University of Liverpool. ISSN 0306-6959. 
Lies, William; Malone, Mary Fran T. (2006). "The Chilean Church: Declining Hegemony?". In Manuel, Paul Christopher; Reardon, Lawrence C.; Wilcox, Clyde. The Catholic Church and the Nation-State: Comparative Perspectives. Religion and Politics. Washington: Georgetown University Press. pp. 89–100. ISBN 978-1-58901-724-5. JSTOR j.ctt2tt4g6. 
Nessan, Craig L. (2012). The Vitality of Liberation Theology. Missional Church, Public Theology, World Christianity. 3. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock. ISBN 978-1-61097-994-8. 
Smith, Brian H. (1982). The Church and Politics in Chile: Challenges to Modern Catholicism. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1-4008-5697-8. JSTOR j.ctt7zvvj7. 
Smith, Christian (1991). The Emergence of Liberation Theology: Radical Religion and Social Movement Theory. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-76410-8. 
Torres, Sergio; Eagleson, John (1976). Theology in the Americas. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books. 
Turner, J. David (1994). An Introduction to Liberation Theology. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America. ISBN 978-0-8191-9137-3. 

Further reading

Encuentro Latinoamericano de Cristianos por el Socialismo, Latin American Working Group (Toronto, Ont.), & Student Christian Movement of Canada. (1972). First Latin American Encounter of Christians for Socialism. Toronto: Latin American Working Group and the Student Christian Movement of Canada.
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