The Catholic Church and Power Politics in Latin America: The Dominican Case in Comparative Perspective

The Catholic Church acted as a mediator during social and political change in several Latin American countries from the 1960s through the 1990s: the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. Although the Catholic clergy was called to mediate in political crises in all five countries, in the Dominican Republic the Church's role as mediator was eventually institutionalized. A historical examination of church-state relations and case study of the Dominican Republic leads into important regional comparisons that broaden our understanding of the Catholic Church in the whole of Latin America.