The Church and Political Opposition: Comparative Perspectives on Mobilization against Authoritarian Regimes

Abstract

The Catholic Church has recently taken a greater role in encouraging and aiding political opposition to authoritarian regimes. The ability of the church to do this derives in part from its dominant cultural presence in these societies. It also derives from the unique character of authoritarian states. The need for legitimacy is common to these regimes. The quest often takes the form of appealing to religious legitimation. In return, the church is accorded privileges enjoyed by no other institution outside the state. This raises a paradoxical situation for the church: the less legitimate a regime, the more it needs the church. However, it is not in the church's interest to identify too closely with an unpopular and often repressive regime. There is also a second side to the paradox: the less legitimate the regime, the more the church may be disposed to oppose it for moral and evangelical reasons. If the church uses its freedoms in support of opposition movements, it may cultivate popular support, but it risks repression of its normal religious activities and loss of its freedoms, thereby jeopardizing its spiritual mission. This paper examines how this paradox is manifested in Latin America, Spain and Poland. Based on our observations, we offer several propositions concerning the circumstances, nature and intensity of church participation in anti-regime activity. Church resources, its organization and the level of social and political development of the country in question are the variables which are most strongly suggested as determining factors of the church's response.