National Salvation: The Division of Catholicism and the War for the Soul of Peru

Abstract

Honors Thesis

Peru has had a history with periods of apparent stability, but also periods of open cultural and religious conflict. Indigenous peoples practiced varied polytheistic religions, but the Inca Empire spread its worship of Inti, the sun, around its Empire. This imperial government, which was largely tolerant of the religions of conquered peoples, was centered in Cuzco and grew to control much of Western South America. This tolerance would not last after the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500s who imposed Catholicism. The imperial Spanish government considered itself the protector and promoter of Tridentine Catholicism throughout the world and spread the religion throughout its empire with the building of grandiose churches, the creation of elaborate processions, and the establishment of other traditional Catholic practices, which resulted in the conversion of hundreds of thousands of indigenous peoples. In spite of the anti-clerical stance advocated by some political leaders after independence in 1821, these practices persisted and the Catholic Church remained a powerful institution that only began to be questioned by secular leftist and Protestant movements in the late nineteenth century. The questioning, along with the popularity, of these movements increased as the twentieth century progressed. The reasons for their success will be discussed later in the thesis. Currently four major groups are engaged in a four-way contest for the “hearts and minds” of Peruvians of all social classes: traditional Catholics, liberal Catholics, Protestants, and secular leftists. The main claim of this thesis is that these divisions, which prevented traditional Catholic hegemony from continuing, were exacerbated by Vatican II and have contributed to a highly fragmented society. Each group has a different take on Peru’s Inca and Spanish past. Of the three groups, only conservative Catholics have a significant admiration for Imperial Spain, which shows their commitment to conserving the legacy of this period in contemporary Peru. Different factions of Catholics and Protestants admire the indigenous past, but in very different ways. Secular leftists, to differing degrees, also claim to defend the indigenous identity and its past. Their differing views on the past signal their likely contemporary affiliations. This thesis will attempt to explore the historical and social reasons for the ideological contest over the “hearts and minds” of Peruvians. Also, it will make the case for why the liberal Catholic, Protestant, and secular leftist attacks on the traditional Church-State alliance could lead to the collapse of the current republic. All contesting groups claim to be guardians of the future well-being of Peru’s population; but this thesis will focus on the traditional Catholic position and its struggle to preserve stability in the face of numerous challenges including globalization, Vatican II, Protestant, and leftist advancements.