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The Catholic Church in Central America

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2009

Fredrick B. Pike
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Extract

Few historical challenges are so tantalizing as the attempt to account for the crushing blows which descended in ever-mounting crescendo upon the Catholic Church during the first century of Independence in Central and South America, regions where the population had been and remained close to 100 percent Catholic. The present study must begin by braving this challenge so as to place its subject matter in proper perspective.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Review of Politics , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , January 1959 , pp. 83 - 113
Copyright
Copyright © University of Notre Dame 1959

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References

1 This paper deals only with Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica. Panama is excluded as it remained until the twentieth century a part of Colombia and therefore outside of the Central American pattern of Church-state relations.

Works found especially useful in preparing the sections of background material which carry the story of the Church in Central America through the early twentieth century include: Cinta, Rafael Aguirre, Lecciones de Historia General de Guatemala desde los Tiempos Primitivos hasta nuestros Dias (Guatemala City, 1899)Google Scholar; Bancroft, Hubert Howe, History of Central America, 3 vols. (San Francisco, 1882–1887);Google ScholarJauregui, Antonio Batres, La América Central ante la Historia (Guatemala City, 1915)Google Scholar; Díaz, Victor Miguel, Barrios ante la Historia (Guatemala City, 1935)Google Scholar; Holleran, Mary, Church and State in Guatemala (New York, 1949)Google Scholar; Jones, Chester Lloyd, Costa Rica and Civilization in the Caribbean (San José, Costa Rica, 1941)Google Scholar, and Guatemala Past and Present (Minneapolis, 1940)Google Scholar; Juarros, Domingo, Compendio de la Historia de la Ciudad de Guatemala (3rd edition; Guatemala City, 1936)Google Scholar; Marure, Alessandro, Bosquejo Histórico de las Revoluciones de Centro-América, desde 1811 hasta 1834, 2 vols. (Guatemala City, 1877–1878);Google ScholarMecham, J. Lloyd, Church and State in Latin America (Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 1934)Google Scholar; Vidauri, Jose Milla y, Historia de la América Central desde el Descubrimiento del Pais por los Españoles hasta su Independencia de Espana, 2 vols. (2nd edition; Guatemala City, 1937)Google Scholar; Montúfar, Rafael, El General Francisco Morazán (Guatemala City, 1895)Google Scholar; Rivera, Lorenzo Montúfar y, Reseña Histórica de Centro América, 7 vols. (Guatemala City, 1878–1888Google Scholar); Munro, Dana G., The Five Republics of Central America (New York, 1918)Google Scholar; Stokes, William S., Honduras, an Area Study in Government (Madison, 1950)Google Scholar; Williams, Mary W., “The Ecclesiastical Policy of Francisco Morazán and the other Central American Liberals,” Hispanic American Historical Review, III (05, 1920), 119–143CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

2 Squier, Ephraim, The States of Central America (New York, 1858), p. 518Google Scholar.

3 See Montúfar, Rafael, editor, Diario de las Sesiones de la Asamblea Constituyente de 1879 (Guatemala City, 1927)Google Scholar.

4 For descriptions of Constituent Assembly proceedings consult Imparcial, the Guatemala City daily, especially September 2, 1955, p. 1, and September 10, 1955, p. 1. Consult also the text of the 1956 Constitution published in El Guatemalteco, the official organ of the government, February 17, 1957.

5 See Documentos Históricos de la Constitutión Politica Salvadoreña de 1950 (San Salvador: 1951), especially pp. 191–195Google Scholar, 240–245, 269. Consult also, Pan-American Union, Constitution of the Republic of El Salvador, 1950 (Washington, D. C. 1953), Articles 24, 160, 157Google Scholar.

6 Carta Pastoral Colectiva del Episcopado de la Proviticia Eclesiastica de El Salvador, publicada con ocasión de la promulgatión de la Constitución Política de El Salvador de año de 1950 (San Salvador: 1950)Google Scholar.

7 Hispanic American World Report, II (05, 1949), 13–14Google Scholar. Newsweek, October 10, 1949, 46. Consult also the Pan-American Union, Constitution of the Republic of Costa Rica, 1949 (Washington, D. C. 1951Google Scholar).

8 See the Pan-American Union, Constitution of the Republic of Nicaragua, 1950 (Washington, D. C. 1954)Google Scholar.

9 Ecclesia (a weekly published in Madrid), No. 854 (November 23, 1957), 24. See also the Pan-American Union, Constitution of the Republic of Honduras, 1957 (Washington, D. C. 1958)Google Scholar.

10 Among the works already cited, Mary Holleran, Church and State in Guatemala, and Chester Lloyd Jones, Guatemala, Past and Present, contain valuable sections on paganism in Guatemala.

Tulane University publishes invaluable studies in its Middle American Research Series. Titles in this series found useful in preparing the following section include: Gillin, John C., The Culture of Security in San Carlos: A Study of a Guatemalan Community of Indians and Ladinos (New Orleans, 1951)Google Scholar; McBryde, Webster, Sololá: A Guatemalan Town and Cakchiquel Market Center (New Orleans, 1933Google Scholar); II, Oliver La Farge and Byers, Douglas, The Year Bearer's People (New Orleans, 1931Google Scholar ). Thompson, Donald E., Maya Paganism and Christianity: A History of the Fusion of Two Religions (New Orleans, 1954Google Scholar). See also: Halle, Louis J. Jr, “Pagan Rites in Guatemala,” Travel, LXVII (1946), 5–10Google Scholar; Huxley, Aldous, “Religious Practices in Central America,” Geographical Magazine, I (1935), 435–439Google Scholar; Ratermann, C. H., , M. M., “All Mixed Up,” Fields Afar(05, 1954), 3–4Google Scholar.

11 Imparcial, March 22, 1956, 1; March 24, 1956, 1.

12 See Directión General de Estadística, Boletín (Guatemala City, 06, 1951), 54Google Scholar; Jones, , Guatemala Past and Present, p. 275Google Scholar; Directión General de Estadística y Censos, Segundo Censo de Población, Junto 13 de 1940 (San Salvador: 1954), pp. 64–67Google Scholar; Anuario Estadístico de El Salvador (San Salvador, 1955), pp. 27Google Scholar, 49; Directión General de Estadística, Anuario Estadístico de la República de Nicaragua, 1947 (Managua, 1949), pp. 47–48Google Scholar; Dirección General de Estadística, Censo de Población de Honduras de 1945 (Tegucigalpa, 1947), p. 8Google Scholar; Censo de Población de Honduras de 1950 (Tegucigalpa, 1952), p. 16Google Scholar; Coleman, William J., M. M. Latin American Catholicism (Maryknoll, New York, 1958), pp. 29–31Google Scholar.

13 Primera Carta Pastoral del Episcopado de Centro America y Panamá, 27 de Mayo de 1956 (Managua, 1956Google Scholar). See also El Diario de Costa Rica, June 12, 1956, 1. Hechos y Dichos (Zaragoza, Spain, 05, 1954), p. 345 also presents interesting data concerning illiteracy, alcoholism, and hygiene in GuatemalaGoogle Scholar.

14 Impartial, July 18, 1945, 1; July 23, 1945, 3; January 24, 1949, 1; February 25, 1949, 1; October 23, 1952, 1.

15 July 19, 1956 correspondence of Rev. Edward S. Dunn, S.J., Associate Editor, Jesuit Missions, with the author. Father Dunn was kind enough to furnish much valuable information concerning current activities of the Jesuits in Central America.

16 See Murkland, Harry B., “Costa Rica, Fortunate Society,” Current History (03, 1952), 142Google Scholar; Biesanz, , op. cit., p. 114Google Scholar; La Prensa Libre (San Jose, Costa Rica), 04 14, 1953, p. 1Google Scholar.

17 Information furnished by Rev. Agustín Bariain, S.J. Father Bariain, until recently Vice-provincial of the Society of Jesus in Central America, furnished the author through a series of communications during August, 1956, with a copious amount of information concerning the Church in Central America. More recently, he has continued to forward many pertinent publications, together with wise bibliographical suggestions. His assistance has been of inestimable value in preparation of this study.

Various issues of Ecclesia, published weekly in Spain, also contain valuable information on education and other topics pertaining to the Catholic Church in Latin America.

18 July 25, 1956 correspondence of Rev. Ricardo Urioste, J.C.D., Secretary of the Archdiocese of El Salvador, with the author. Father Urioste kindly provided full information concerning many questions directed to him.

19 July 17, 1956 correspondence of Rev. José Carranza Ch., Canonical Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Honduras, with the author. The detailed information generously provided by Father Carranza proved invaluable in preparing this study.

20 The entire Caribbean area includes, of course, in addition to the republics under discussion in this paper, Panama, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, numerous other island territories, as well as Colombia and Venezuela. Rycroft, W. Stanley, “The Contribution of Protestantism in the Caribbean,” in Wilgus, A. C., editor, The Caribbean: its Culture (Gainesville, 1955), p. 163Google Scholar, estimates that the Protestant schools in this area now number 1,524. Paul S. Leitz, “The Role of the Catholic Church in Caribbean Life,” ibid., p. 150, gives 1,442 as the number of Catholic schools in the same region.

In addition to the above works, the following sources were found useful in preparing this section: John, and Biesanz, Mary, Costa Rican Life; The Central American Bulletin, published monthly by the Central American Mission; Hubert W. Brown, Latin America: The Pagans, Papists, Patriots, Protestants and the Present Problem (New York, 1901Google Scholar); Grubb, Kenneth G., Religion in Central America (London, 1937Google Scholar); Mary Holleran, Church and State in Guatemala; Mackay, John A., The Other Spanish Christ (New York, 1933Google Scholar); Spain, Mildred W., And in Samaria (Dallas, 1954)Google Scholar, a rather complete account of the activities of the Central American Mission; “La Penetración del Protestantismo; en Hispano-América,” Sal Terrae (Universidad de Comillas, Spain,03, 1956)Google Scholar; Crowe, Frederick, The Gospel in Central America (London, 1850).Google Scholar

21 The Central American Bulletin, (July, 1956), 16.

22 These data are contained in the previously cited work of Mildred Spain. The author also wishes to express thanks to Rev. William H. Walker, General Secretary of the Central American Mission, for his excellent co-operation in providing information.

23 Rycroft, , op. cit., p. 159Google Scholar.

24 Previously cited Primera Carta Pastoral del Episcopado de Centro Amirica. See also El Diario de Costa Rica, June 9, 1956, 1.

25 See “Escásez del Clero,” Hechos y Dichos (April, 1954), 263; “L a Escásez del Clero en la América Espaňola: Máximo Problema,” Sal Terrae (March, 1956). See also the very interesting article by the Director of the College for Latin America at Louvain, Sireau, Alberto, “La Crisis Religiosa en la América Latina,” Revista Latino Americana (Mexico, D.F., 08, 1955), 370 ffGoogle Scholar.

26 Impartial, January 24, 1949, 1; February 25, 1949, 1.

27 Interview with the then Apostolic Nuncio of Guatemala, Monsignor Gennaro Verolino, reported in Impartial, February 4, 1956, 1. See also Holleran, , op. cit., p. 236Google Scholar; “Horizon Unlimited,” Relations (Montreal: 08 1, 1954), 234–236Google Scholar.

28 Directión General de Estadística y Censos, Censo de Población de Costa Rica (1955), p. 219.

29 In recent years, this sum has amounted to 75,720 colones. Memoria Anual del Ministerio de Economia y Hacienda (San Jose, 1951), pp. 66, 69Google Scholar.

30 July 17 correspondence of Father Carranza, previously cited.

31 July 25 correspondence of Father Urioste, previously cited.

32 Impartial, September 24, 1954, 1.

33 Previously cited correspondence of Fathers Urioste and Carranza with the author.

34 Carta Pastoral del Arzobispo Monseñor Mariano Rossell Arellano (Guatemala City, 1954). See also Imparcial, April 9, 1954, 1Google Scholar.

35 Impartial, July 3, 1954, 1. For additional sources of information concerning communism in Guatemala, see the Guatemalan News Notes issued by Edward L. Bernays; Rey, Julio Adolfo, “Revolution and Liberation: A Review of Recent Literature on the Guatemalan Situation,” Hispanic American Historical Review, XXXVII (05, 1958), 239–255CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Pike, F. B., “Guatemala, the United States and Communism in the Americas,” The Review of Politics, XVII (04, 1955), 232–261CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

36 Ecclesia, January 4, 1958, 9–10.