Catholic democratization: religious networks and political agency in the Philippines and Timor-Leste
In this article, I compare the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines and in Timor-Leste in the 1980s and 1990s in discussing the extent to which transnational religious networks have been a factor in the capacity of the Church to advance a democratization agenda. Religious actors have influenced...
| Published in: | Sojourn |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Institution
July 2020
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| In: |
Sojourn
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| Further subjects: | B
Democratization
B Nation B International policy B Political change B Philippines B Religion B Social network B Politics B Catholicism B Timor B Christianity B Catholic school |
| Summary: | In this article, I compare the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines and in Timor-Leste in the 1980s and 1990s in discussing the extent to which transnational religious networks have been a factor in the capacity of the Church to advance a democratization agenda. Religious actors have influenced and shaped the structural and operational parameters of democratization in many parts of the world. Political theorist Samuel Huntington (1991) has observed that Roman Catholic religious teachings since the 1930s have corresponded to what has been described as the 'Catholic wave' of democratization. How can we situate the Philippines and Timor-Leste—the two most predominantly Roman Catholic countries in Asia—within this scholarship? What roles do religious networks play in community-based adaptation strategies, particularly in the context of nation-state formation in postcolonial and post-conflict situations? I pursue these questions by framing a comparative analysis around two thematic currents. The first explores the sociopolitical ramifications of the Roman Catholic Church as an inherently networked institution. I consider the notion of Catholicism as a global interconnection of clerical hierarchies that recognize pontifical authority as a personification of the unity of the Church. The second reconsiders the notion that the political interventions of the Church are tantamount to and coterminous with an endorsement of a particular form of political governance, in this case liberal democracy, as indicated in the 'Catholic wave' thesis. Instead of assuming that Church leaders homogeneously favour liberal democracy, I consider the emphasis by the Second Vatican Council on protecting the dignity of the human person, particularly that of the poor, and how this emphasis conditions the political agency of the Church in both countries. (Soujourn/GIGA) |
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| ISSN: | 0217-9520 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Sojourn
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