Trying To Decolonize Faith
If you think church and state conflicts are heated in North America, you should look at South America where the stakes can be far higher. Recently, Bolivian President Evo Morales has come under fire for his plan to remove Catholicism as the sole faith taught in public and private schools.
“Bolivian President Evo Morales on Tuesday said some members of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy are behaving as if they were in “the times of the Inquisition” as he defended his government’s plan to remove Catholicism as the sole religion taught in schools…”I want to ask the [church] hierarchies that they understand freedom of religion and beliefs in our country,” Morales told reporters. “It’s not possible to impose their views.”…Catholicism will be taught alongside world religions, especially Bolivian Indian religions.”
Bolivia has been heavily Catholic since it was colonized by Spain, Morales is the first indigenous head of state in 450 years. Morales hopes that his plan of demoting Catholicism to one of many faiths will knock down “ethnic borders” that have marginalized indigenous peoples in his country. But there have been rumblings from the Catholic establishment that violent resistance could ensue if Morales is seen as going too far.
“Bolivia’s Cardinal Julio Terrazas told Catholics on Sunday to stop being “passive” and defend their faith. “Great wars began with small theories … with this discourse of hate, rancor, of unforgiveness,” Terrazas said”
It remains to be seen how far “active” defense of the Catholic faith will go in this context. It should be interesting to see the cultural ramifications of Morales’ plan and how far he will be allowed to push Catholic religion out of a dominant place in the country before Catholic forces push back.
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