POPULATION
42,192,494 (July 2012 est.)
GDP PER CAPITA
$17,700 (2011 est.)
RELIGIONS
nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%
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ALSO IN LATIN AMERICA
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Argentina
The society, culture, and politics of Argentina are deeply imbued with Roman Catholicism. The Church’s place in Argentine national identity, which spans across the ideological spectrum, stems from the perpetual ability of Argentines on different sides of political and social divides to find some level of support in the Church. The Church solidified its hold on the territory of modern-day Argentina during the period of Spanish colonial rule from the 16th to early 19th centuries. Church leaders variously supported and opposed the policies of Juan Perón (1946-55) and the violent tactics of the Dirty War (1976-83). Roman Catholicism remains the official religion of the state and Catholic representatives take part in many state functions. Freedom of religion is also guaranteed by the Constitution. Today, areas of Church-State contention include contraception, economic policies, and the disputed involvement of the Church in the Dirty War. Around 90% of Argentines self-identify as Catholic, though only 20% practice their faith on a regular basis.
ESSAYS ON ARGENTINA
Colonial and Early Republican Period
During the colonial period, the Catholic Church became the dominant religious presence and social service provider in the Spanish holdings in South America, including the territory that would later become independent Argentina. Following independence from Spain in 1810, there were sharp disagreements within the national ruling elite over the degree of Church influence in the country. Not wanting to offend Spain, the Papacy condemned the revolutions sweeping South America at the time, creating a contentious relationship with the budding Argentine nation. Still, the first Argentine Constitution, promulgated in 1853 and which remains the basis of Argentina’s modern legal system, reserved a special place for the Catholic Church in the country through state financial support while also allowing religious freedom. Church-State relations in the nineteenth century were characterized by a series of conflicts between the Argentine government and the Church over the issues of compulsory secular education, civil marriage, and the governmental appointment of religious authorities. Argentina and the Holy See broke off diplomatic relations in the 1880s over these issues and went nearly 20 years before reestablishing them. Relations improved during the early twentieth century, as various conservative administrations worked with the Vatican to set the basis for a mutually acceptable relationship, which involved, among other things, state permissiveness toward religious education in public schools.
Peron and the Military Regimes
By the 1950s, the increasing power of Juan Domingo Perón produced tensions between his administration and the Church over issues such as the attempted legalization of divorce and prostitution, and particularly state regulation of religious education. These issues culminated in an open confrontation between the Perón and the Church, which paved the way for a military coup against the regime by discontented and largely Catholic-inspired factions of the military in 1955. During the three subsequent decades, relations between Church and State were marked by conflict over human rights abuses and economic injustices endemic to the country’s succession of military-led dictatorships. The 1966 Concordat formalized relations between Argentina and the Vatican and specified Vatican control over appointments of religious authorities in the country. A brief return to democracy in 1973 gave way to increasing political violence and polarization, leading to another coup in 1976. The period following this latter coup was known as the Dirty War (1976-1983), which was characterized by serious and constant violations of human rights by the government as it sought to eliminate leftist opposition. The stance adopted by Church authorities during this period was ambivalent, ranging from the outspoken criticism of a few bishops to open support for the military’s efforts by a few others. The Church’s mixed ethical record through this period continues to haunt debates about the role of the Church in Argentine politics to this day.
Recent Developments
With the return to democracy in 1983, there was a return to prior debates, including divorce, remarriage, and the status of children born outside of wedlock. Disagreement on these topics was strongest during the administration of Raúl Alfonsín (1983-1989), but thereafter relations between governments and the Catholic Church remained generally amicable. During his presidency (1989-1999), Carlos Menem was vocal in his support for the Vatican’s position on abortion, declaring March 25 the “Day of the Unborn Child,” and was recognized by Pope John Paul II for his dedication to this cause, though several of Argentina’s preeminent bishops condemned his liberal economic policies. Relations between church and state became tense after the election of Néstor Kirchner in 2003. His administration (2003-2007) clashed with Catholic authorities over issues of abortion, contraception, and sex education. This culminated in a direct confrontation, when Kirchner temporarily stopped recognizing the Vatican-appointed head of military chaplains following a dispute over human rights abuses perpetrated during the Dirty War. Kirchner was succeeded by his wife, Cristina Fernández, in 2007, and the points of contention that marked Kirchner’s presidency continued under her administration. While Argentina has the largest Muslim minority in the Americas and Buenos Aires possesses the second largest Jewish community in the Americas after New York City, Catholicism remains the dominant religious influence in Argentine culture, society, and politics.
Contemporary Affairs
President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s relationship with Argentina’s Catholic Church has been strained due to her outspoken support for gay marriage and the perceived leftism of her government’s agenda. In July 2010, Argentina’s Senate legalized gay marriage at the urging of President Fernández. The Catholic Church, along with Evangelical and Protestant groups, organized massive protests against the legislation. The Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Bergolio, issued a plea to lawmakers to oppose the vote, calling the effort “a move by the father of lies to confuse and deceive the children of God.” Argentina’s Synod of Bishops, in a rare political statement, called upon Catholics to oppose politicians who supported the bill. Fernández called the Church’s tactics “medieval,” and publicly snubbed the Church by declining to attend the Independence Day Mass, presidential attendance at which is considered a ceremonial tradition. Despite these public disputes, the Argentine government has also been criticized from the left for its close institutional relationship with the Catholic Church, as Argentina’s political and judicial branches maintain strong ties with the Church. A push for further separation of church and state was demonstrated in May 2012 when a local court in Argentina’s Salta Province banned Catholic religious education in the region’s public schools, striking down a provincial law that had mandated such education. Catholic bishops criticized the ruling, arguing that individual students ought to be able to opt out of religious education instead of banning the material for all students.
Religious Freedom in Argentina
The Argentine constitution guarantees freedom of religion while establishing a special relationship between the government and the Catholic Church. The Argentine Federal Government “sustains the apostolic Roman Catholic faith” through a series of subsidies and federal guarantees, formally justified by the prominent role Catholicism has played in Argentina’s history. Approximately 70 percent of Argentineans have been baptized into the Catholic Church, but society is largely secularized and the political clout of the clergy was dramatically reduced after prominent members of its leadership supported the military regime that governed the country from 1976-1983 during the Dirty War. Argentina also has small Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim populations. The Secretariat of Worship serves as a liaison between the government and these communities, and all non-Catholic religious organizations are required to register with the Secretariat in order to gain tax-exempt status. Some non-Catholic organizations find this process discriminatory. The law that established this precedent for governmental recognition of non-Catholic religions dates to 1978, when the military dictatorship sought to weed out any potentially subversive elements from religious organizations. The government of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has expressed support for altering this law to make legal recognition easier for minority religions, particularly the indigenous Mbyá-Guaraní tribal religion. The high-profile 1994 bombing of the Jewish Mutual Aid Association building provoked an aggressive government response against anti-Semitism.
Religion in the Argentine Constitution
The Argentine Constitution, originally written in 1853 and last amended in 1994, invokes God in its preamble and guarantees the free exercise of religious practice and belief by both citizens and foreigners in Articles 14 and 20 respectively. These rights apply regardless of religious affiliation, but the constitution recognizes Roman Catholicism as the official religion of the state. Until 1994, the constitution mandated that the president had to be a member of the Catholic faith. Other historical parts of the document, since removed, stipulated that the Congress should promote Catholicism among the indigenous peoples and that the Executive should have the power to appoint bishops, with the approval of the Senate, and rule on the applicability of Papal decrees to Argentina, with the approval of the Supreme Court.
Preamble: God as Source of Reason and Justice
We, the representatives of the people of the Argentine Nation, gathered in General Constituent Assembly by the will and election of the Provinces which compose it, in fulfillment of pre-existing pacts, in order to form a national union, guarantee justice, secure domestic peace, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves, to our posterity, and to all men of the world who wish to dwell on argentine soil: invoking the protection of God, source of all reason and justice: do ordain, decree, and establish this Constitution for the Argentine Nation.
Article 2: Government Support for Catholicism
The Federal Government supports the Roman Catholic Apostolic religion.
Article 14: Freedom of Religion
All the inhabitants of the Nation are entitled to the following rights, in accordance with the laws that regulate their exercise, namely: to work and perform any lawful industry; to navigate and trade; to petition the authorities; to enter, remain in, travel through, and leave the Argentine territory; to publish their ideas through the press without previous censorship; to make use and dispose of their property; to associate for useful purposes; to profess freely their religion; to teach and to learn.
Article 20: Freedom of Religion for Foreigners
Foreigners enjoy within the territory of the Nation all the civil rights of citizens; they may exercise their industry, trade and profession; own real property, buy and sell it; navigate the rivers and coasts; practice freely their religion; make wills and marry under the laws. They are not obliged to accept citizenship nor to pay extraordinary compulsory taxes. They may obtain naturalization papers residing two uninterrupted years in the Nation; but the authorities may shorten this term in favor of those so requesting it, alleging and proving services rendered to the Republic.
