Evo Morales and the Catholic Church
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The administration of former
When faced with a Morales policy that they disagreed with, such as the proposed
The special status that used to be given to Catholicism in Bolivia can be seen in Article 3 of the former
Constitutional status of the Church
Separation of church and state in the history of the Catholic Church |
---|
Until amendments made in 2009, the Bolivian Constitution gave special recognition to the
On June 18, 2006, the
Church land seized
In early June 2006, the socialist party of Evo Morales—
Call to stop having Catholic feast days as national holidays
While the education reform controversy was ongoing, then-Senator Antonio Peredo joined with other members of Morales' Movimiento al Socialismo in the Bolivian Parliament to call for an end to recognizing Catholic feast days such as
Catholic view on Constitutional reform
On January 18, 2007, Fr. Freddy del Villar, Vicar General of the Coroicu Diocese in Bolivia, said that the Catholic Church is keeping observant concerning the socialist Morales government and were still reserving judgment on the upcoming revision to the Bolivian Constitution. Though the Church is concerned, it remains confident about the improved constitution being prepared by the Morales administration. Fr. del Villar declared that with factions in Bolivia seemingly attempting to chip away at the unity of Bolivia and the Church plays a role in maintaining said unity.[12]
Conflict over religious classes in state schools
In early June 2006, the Bolivian Education Minister Félix Patzi told reporters that under the Morales administration, education would no longer have a sole focus on Catholicism and would become secular, with religious studies becoming optional rather than mandatory. The curriculum would instead focus on the history of religion, including indigenous religions.[13] The idea was to create a "secular education that respects the beliefs, the spirituality of indigenous and native nations and of the Bolivian nations as the basis of individual and communitarian rights."[13] The Bolivian Roman Catholic hierarchy immediately opposed this proposal and saw it as an attack on religion in Bolivia. They were outspoken against the measure and organized protests against it.
Pro-Catholic Church Responses
Demonstrations and Criticism led by Bishops
In August 2006, the
Immediately after Patzi's statements, Archbishop Tito Solari of Cochabamba said the Morales government must be consistent when it talks about respecting beliefs, which means respecting that a majority of Bolivians believe in Catholicism.[13] He defended the existence of "covenant schools" which are administered by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, but are paid for by Bolivian taxes drawn from both Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Solari said, "Parents are the first and foremost educators of their children, therefore they have the right to choose the kind of education they want. ...[F]amilies are very appreciative of the schools that are administered by the Church, which serve the community and, in a special way, those in need."[13] He defined what he thought was the proper role of the government saying, "The state and the institutions of civil society can contribute, in a democratic atmosphere, to people choosing the best educational model for the integral and critical formation of persons."[13]
In June 2006, a spokeswoman for the Bolivian Bishops’ Committee on Education demanded that the Morales administration clarify its position on religious instruction in state schools. She claimed that the Committee was eager, out of concern, that the administration come to a definitive position to open up a dialogue.[16] She took issue with Patzi labeling the current system as "colonialist", saying he "is ignoring the Church’s contribution to culture, education, health care and development in Bolivia."[16] She asserted that the Church respects other beliefs and is not asking for Catholicism to be forced upon the people. She accused the Morales administration of having an anti-faith bias and having an issue with the faith of Catholic Bolivians, which is 80% of the population, rather than the Church itself.[16]
Responding to Patzi's comments, the Archbishop of Santa Cruz,
On July 23, 2006, Bolivia's Cardinal
Jorge Quiroga
In late July 2006, former Bolivian president Jorge Quiroga, who had lost the 2005 election to Morales, criticized the remarks of President Morales that compared the actions of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in Bolivia with the Inquisition. Quiroga cautioned that the use of that rhetoric must not be used since it incurs negative consequences. He declared he would champion the opposition against the government policies on religious classes, saying "Religion is an issue that should not be politicized. What we have clearly said (as the opposition) is that the teaching of religion be respected and we are going to defend it."[19]
National Educational Congress walkout
During the July 2006 meeting of the National Educational Congress, delegates from the
Archbishop Tito Solari described the Morales administration's actions at the event as operating "in a Communist fashion" and claimed that "the government [had] imposed its ideology without any room for dialogue."[1] After the bishops' delegates left, those remaining approved the policy to expand the scope of the religious classes. Auxiliary Bishop Estanislao Dowlaszewicz of Santa Cruz characterized the results by saying, "Today some people live as if they were allergic to religion or the Church... [depicting it as] a danger for the future of the country…[they are trying to] remove not only religion from the classroom but God as well."[1] Archbishop Edmundo Abastoflor of La Paz made comments believed to be in response to the education question. At a commemoration of Bolivian independence, in front of the attending Bolivian President Evo Morales, the archbishop declared, "It is crazy to think that God doesn’t exist or that we can forget about Him. ... No matter how important we might be in this world, there is someone who is more so than us."[1]
Anti-Catholic Church Responses
Announcement by Education Minister
In June 2006, Félix Patzi incurred organizational opposition against the Morales government's declaration that "Catholicism would no longer be 'the official' religion taught at schools."[18] Patzi said that he wanted to end "the religious monopoly" of the Catholic faith in schools and allow all faiths to be taught, "from oriental religions to those practiced by our native peoples."[1][17] He said he would end the policy that made Catholic religious classes obligatory for students, and called the existing system "colonial".[17] In an interview with the newspaper La Razon, Patz said, "In Bolivia the people are not only Catholic, but also of other religious faiths." He stated his fear of the issue "leading to confrontation among Bolivians".[1]
After protests by the Catholic hierarchy, Patzi clarified that the sectarian Roman Catholic classes taught in state schools would be replaced with a "history of religions" class that would include a focus on traditional indigenous beliefs alongside Catholicism and other faiths practiced in Bolivia.[21] The Morales government announced its policy as a call for "secular education that respects the beliefs, the spirituality of indigenous and native nations and of the Bolivian nations as the basis of individual and communitarian rights."[16] It was announced that the proposal would come before the National Assembly for a vote on August 6, 2006.[22]
Morales' reversal
The calls by the Catholic hierarchy to resist Morales’ policy against sectarian religious classes in state schools caused a dip in his popularity. In mid-July 2006 the newspaper La Razon did a survey of 1,009 Bolivians living in the country's four major cities. The survey showed Morales with an approval rating of 68 percent, down from 75 percent in June. It also found that 83 percent of Bolivians surveyed had a favorable opinion of the Catholic Church.[23]
On July 30, 2006, after a two-and-a-half-hour conference in
Confederation of Inner City Education Workers of Bolivia
In September 2006, the Confederation of Inner City Education Workers of Bolivia in a proposal called "Rescuing the Homeland", requested a law that would eliminate all religious instruction in state schools including the 200 state-funded covenant schools which are administered by the Catholic Church. The proposal said, "Education should be secular if we want it to be scientific." In response, Church representatives cautioned that advancements made by the Catholic Church could be lost if the State were to take over the covenant schools and rallied to oppose any such proposals.[24]
2019 Political Crisis
Bolivian Bishops previously opposed Morales's attempts to extend his presidency saying it "opens the doors to totalitarianism to the imposition of authority by force."
In response to the months of violent protests resulting in the death of many protesters by security forces, Bishop Aurelio Pessoa has called for a national dialogue involving all parties "to bring peace to the country and to agree on the conditions of new presidential elections and the election of new members of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal."[26]
Sources
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- ^ a b c d "Morales: Catholic leaders acting like 'Inquisition'". Associated Press. July 26, 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e "Bolivia - International Religious Freedom Report 2005". US State Dept. Retrieved on February 13, 2007
- ^ "Capitalism Has Only Hurt Latin America". Der Spiegel. September 4, 2006. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2007. Retrieved on February 13, 2007
- ^ "Evo Morales profile > childhood". Archived from the original on September 9, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2007. Retrieved on February 13, 2007
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- ^ a b c d e "Church not asking to be official religion of the State, Bolivian cardinal says". Catholic News Agency. June 20, 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2007. Retrieved on February 12, 2007
- ^ http://www.laconstituyente.org/ Archived November 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on November 30, 2011
- ^ "Ruling Socialist party in Bolivia seizes lands surrounding national Marian shrine". Catholic News Agency. June 8, 2006. Archived from the original on June 25, 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2007. Retrieved on February 10, 2007.
- ^ "Government contemplates eliminating religious holidays in Bolivia". July 27, 2006. Archived from the original on October 5, 2006. Retrieved February 13, 2007. Retrieved on February 12, 2007
- ^ "List of National Public Holidays in Bolivia 2016". Office Holidays. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- ^ "Church in Bolivia worried, but remaining optimistic about Morales government". Catholic News Agency. January 19, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2007. Retrieved on February 13, 2007
- ^ a b c d e "Bolivian government to eliminate Catholicism from classrooms". Catholic News Agency. June 12, 2006. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2007. Retrieved on February 12, 2007
- ^ "Keep God in schools, Bolivians tell government". Catholic News Agency. August 14, 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2007. Retrieved on February 8, 2007
- ^ "Bolivian bishop reaffirms right of parents over their children's education". Catholic News Agency. August 17, 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2007. Retrieved on February 12, 2007
- ^ a b c d "Church leaders in Bolivia demand clarification from government on religious instruction in schools". June 14, 2006. Archived from the original on February 2, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2007. Retrieved on February 12, 2007
- ^ a b c d "Cardinal Terrazas calls on Bolivians to defend right to practice their faith". July 12, 2006. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2007. Retrieved on February 12, 2007
- ^ a b c d e f g "Bolivian president, education minister slam bishops". Catholic News Agency. July 26, 2006. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2007. Retrieved on February 8, 2007
- ^ "Ex-Bolivian president to defend religious instruction in schools at Constitutional Assembly". Catholic News Agency. July 28, 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2007. Retrieved on February 13, 2007
- ^ a b c d "Bolivian education minister pledges to uphold religious instruction in public schools". Catholic News Agency. July 17, 2006. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2007. Retrieved on February 12, 2007
- ^ Monte Reel (January 31, 2007). "In Bolivia, Speaking Up for Native Languages". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved on January 31, 2007
- ^ "Evangelical theologian calls for abandonment of Christianity and return to Bolivia's "Andean religion"". Catholic News Agency. July 24, 2006. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2007. Retrieved on February 12, 2007
- ^ a b Carlos Valdez (July 31, 2006). "Bolivia keeps Catholicism in schools". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2007. Retrieved on February 10, 2007
- ^ "Inner-city school teachers present plan to eliminate Catholic education in Bolivia". Catholic News Agency. September 26, 2006. Archived from the original on October 22, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
- ^ a b "Bolivia's Catholic Church Rejects President Evo Morales' Unconstitutional Reelection Push". PanAm Post. December 8, 2017. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ "Catholic Church in Bolivia calls for talks to end violence". France 24. November 19, 2019. Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.