Moral Authority and Authoritarianism: The Catholic Church and the Military Regime in Uruguay

Abstract

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, many South American democracies fell under the control of authoritarian military regimes. The military governments attempted to prevent leftist revolution by eliminating or silencing “subversive” elements in society, leading to systematic violations of human rights and widespread political repression. Within this context, the Catholic Church was often the only institution with the opportunity to defend human rights, criticize the tyranny of the military regimes, and call for democratization. As the dominant religious institution in Latin America, the Catholic Church in many countries spoke out against the military regimes and served as a catalyst in the process of mobilizing opposition. The cases of national Catholic Church opposition to authoritarian rule in Chile and Brazil have been well documented. In Chile, the Catholic Church made frequent, consistent public statements condemning the military regime and supported and created human rights institutions such as the Vicariate of Solidarity, which collected data on human rights abuses and provided legal aid for victims of the regime. The church also helped to unite and protect the political opposition to General Augusto Pinochet.1 Similarly, in Brazil the Catholic Church shielded opposition groups, spoke out against repression, and played a crucial role in the process of democratization.2 In both cases, the opposition of the church was effective in that it publically delegitimized the ruling regime's authority, aided in the protection of human rights, and assisted in the return to democracy. However, in other Latin American countries such as Argentina, the Catholic Church supported the government despite the mounting repression and human rights abuses committed by the military regime.3 Religious institutions like the Catholic Church can undoubtedly play a significant role in challenging authoritarian regimes, but the church's record of opposition to authoritarianism in Latin America is inconsistent.