Catholicism, Politics and Society in Modern Latin America

Abstract

The distinction drawn by Chevalier between “Anglo” America and “Latin”America would later become part of a vibrant debate among scholars about howexactly the region south of the Río Grande became known as “Latin America.”2While opinions diverge, there is general agreement that Catholicism, and theregion’s common Catholic heritage, were an essential part of what enabledcontemporaries, including Chevalier himself, to give birth to the idea of “LatinAmerica.” Nevertheless, during that same period the Catholic Church acrossLatin America was thrown in social, economic, and political turmoil, and wasthus paradoxically forced to fight for its place in the continent that it was helpingto conceptualize.