Catholic action and politics in Peru: The positions of the Peruvian prelates at the begining of the decade of 1920

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that, at the beginning of the 1920’s decade, the Peruvian Catholic Church apprehended and conceptualized social reality as well as implemented its practice through the category catholic action. Different primary sources were used to explore these topics, including pastoral letters, articles, correspondence, annual reports of catholic associations and, specially, documentation related to a survey between high-ranking members of the Peruvian clergy conducted at the end of 1921 by the nuncio in Peru, Giuseppe Petrelli. These sources let us conclude that catholic action was a key factor in, fi rstly, the intervention of catholic activists in politics, secondly, the relationship church-state and, thirdly, causing splits in the Church of Peru.