The U.S. Catholic Press on Central America: From Cold War Anticommunism to Social Justice

Abstract

The topic of this book could bring skepticism. What makes the Catholic press different or relevant enough for us to be interested in it? What could we learn about the Central American crisis from the Catholic press that we do not already know? Well, plenty. This book’s sources provide a unique perspective on, among other things, the evolution of the Central American and U.S. Catholic churches, and it shows the relevance of relations between the United States and Central America outside of the framework of the state. A study of press coverage can be approached by tedious summarizing article after article, going from publication to publication and country to country. Unfortunately, this book has some of this. It is at times more descriptive than analytical, and the author can be consumed by the decision of whether each article was “fair and balanced.” But the story is intrinsically interesting, and the author’s treatment of it is an excellent contribution to the field.What made the Catholic press move away from its uncritical cold-war coverage?The response to this question includes topics familiar to the Latin Americanist, such as the impact of Vatican II, the Alliance for Progress, and liberation theology, but the rich material of this book brings these stories into interaction in unexpected ways. As Pope John XXIII sent an emissary to plea to American priests to go as missionaries to Latin America, John F. Kennedy’s Peace Corps was at the same time appealing to the idealism of young Americans. One senses that, initially, American missionaries went to Central America (particularly Guatemala) not only to help their church but also to encourage evolution in order to avoid revolution. There was nothing more natural than for pious Catholic magazines to publish stories about these eager missionaries. But as they evolved, so did the publications. For young priests and nuns, charity works with the poor led to an understanding of the structural injustice that pervaded the region. Under the circumstances, it is not surprising that they were influenced by Paulo Freire, the Latin American bishops meeting in Medellín, liberation theology, and Ivan Illich. Many missionaries were transformed by their experiences, and so was the Catholic press coverage.As time passed, the missionaries were only one of many sources offering the Catholic press a distinct perspective on Central America. A Jesuit magazine like America, for example, had access to first-rate local interpreters of the Central American reality, such as scholars in the Jesuit colleges in El Salvador and Nicaragua. Faith-based fact-finding trips visited distant parishes and interviewed human rights advocates associated with the church.The author also shows that the Central American story was tailor-made for the constituency of the Catholic press. From the political protagonism of Sandinista priests, to their conflicts with the hierarchy, to the martyrdom of Archbishop Romero and the persecution of the church in El Salvador, the drama was full of interest for Catholics. Stories that were intermittently covered by the secular media merited article after article in the Catholic press. Still, not all Catholic publications shared exactly the same perspective. The author is careful to point out differences and changes over time, as happened when admiration for the Sandinistas weakened after 1985. A vociferous conservative press stood firmly on the side of the Reagan administration at all times, but the author makes a good case that its shrill tone and unwillingness to consider other perspectives made it ineffective.The resonance of the Central American story helps us understand the role of the Catholic press in galvanizing religious opposition to Reagan policies, a big part of the 1980s story. The press not only covered but also encouraged marches, letters to representatives, and different expressions of outrage. The book includes many telling examples of why the “Catholic angle” could be particularly powerful, as when the Catholic press wondered why the administration was able to “find” even nonexistent weapons smuggled into El Salvador but unable to investigate the perpetrators of the murder and rape of four American nuns in 1980. The Catholic press was an important and particularly energized sector in the United States, and it was a source of energy, support, and even resources for progressive Catholics in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala. The book’s conclusion contextualizes the evolution of press coverage within the history of Catholic political participation in the United States. This is a bit of a surprise, since the theme is not developed elsewhere, but it adds a useful dimension. It also reminds us of a side of the story not discussed with as much detail as I would have liked: the extent of U.S. Catholic activism. Small complaints aside, the richness of the material and the abundance of insights suggest that this book will find its way into many a syllabus.