Rhetoric Race and Religion
Pope Francis has created a big buzz worldwide. He compares the Roman Catholic Church to a field hospital after battle. He says it’s not necessary to talk about hot-button issues like abortion and contraception all the time. When asked about gays in the church, he replied, “Who am I to judge?”
His past in his homeland of Argentina has been controversial. Some have questioned whether he stood up to the dictatorship during Argentina’s “dirty war” in 1976-83 when tens of thousands of political dissidents – including priests – were detained, tortured and often killed.
The pope is leading a church that faces huge challenges. Membership is declining even in strongholds such as Latin America, where new churches in the Pentecostal movement are surging in popularity.
Who is Pope Francis and what is the future of religion in Latin American? These important issues and many more were addressed in a lecture by Daniel H. Levine, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Michigan. Levine’s latest book is Politics, Religion and Society in Latin America.
Levine gave his talk on Jan. 28 at U-M’s International Institute. It was sponsored by U-M’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Department of Political Science and St. Mary Student Parish. Below are edited excerpts from Levine’s lecture and an interview after the event.
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