'Saint Mary of the Contra, Our Lady of Oliver North'; Catholicism and the Nicaraguan State

Andy Thorpe, E. Bennett

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    This paper traces the evolution of (Catholic) church-state relations from Nicaraguan independence through to 1998, showing how a symbiotic relationship has emerged whereby one makes recourse to the other in order to justify its existence and provide it with moral authority. This relationship, however, has been threatened on a number of occasions. First, by the advent of liberation theology during the Somoza period, second by the increasing secularisation of the FSLN regime during the 1980s. Recent years have seen the Catholic Church recapture its previous authoritative position in the national political arena, although increasing voter apathy and the growth of the Protestant Church movement could again threaten its position.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)291 - 307
    Number of pages17
    JournalJournal of Socio-Economics
    Volume27
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2000

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