College Honors Program

Forging a Catholic Modernity: American Catholic Reactions to Anticlericalism in Mexico and Spain: 1920-1945

Date of Creation

5-31-2023

Document Type

Campus Access Only

First Advisor

Justin Poché

Abstract

This thesis examines the political reaction of American Catholics to anticlericalism in Mexico and Spain from around 1920 to 1945. The first body chapter illustrates how American Catholics postulated a conception of human dignity centered on the freedom of worship and accepted political violence as a means of defending the faith. The second chapter examines the solidification of an American Catholic ideological framework which continued to endorse religious freedom, espoused suspicion of populism and secular democracy, and promulgated a new martyrology as examples of good conduct which could influence political policy. The third chapter examines how two distinct strains of American Catholic political thought emerged during the Spanish Civil War, one of which supported Franco’s Nationalist forces while the other opposed war entirely. The former strain favored a violent, militant stance toward anticlerical regimes, particularly those associated with communism. The latter strain opposed violence as contrary to Christian moral teaching.

Comments

Reader: Christopher Staysniak

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