Dichotomies in the Church

Abstract

Throughout Latin-American history certain abid ing issues of politics have arisen from the position of the Church in society and from the claims and attitudes of various sectors of Catholicism. An important basis in appraisal of these issues thirty years ago was the seeming alliance between the Church and the forces of conservatism. Appraisal today cannot be made in those terms, because such alliances have largely dis appeared. The permanent interests of the Church remain, however, and the authority that the Church claims has not changed in nature. Latin-American Catholicism has taken a realistic attitude toward social change which, in general, it is disposed to regard as not essentially antagonistic to Church interests but as offering new opportunities to influence the de velopment of society. Response to the opportunities will prob ably continue to be in terms of a diversity the limits of which are established by the authority that the Church continues to claim.