Overview

Looks at the politics of the Catholic Church during a turbulent period in central Mozambique This book is concerned with the internal diversity and complexity of the Roman Catholic Church. It aims at exploring, unpacking, and explaining how the Roman Catholic institution works, how its politics are made, and how the latter impact its environment. Using the diocese of Beira in central Mozambique as a case study, and following insights by Max Weber, author Eric Morier-Genoud takes the novel ""horizontal"" approach of looking at congregations within the Church as a series of autonomous entities, rather than focusing on the hierarchical structure of the institution. Between 1940 and 1980, the diocese of Beira was home to some fifteen different congregations rangingfrom Jesuits to Franciscans, from Burgos to Picpus fathers. As in many areas of the world, the 1960s brought conflict to Catholic congregations in central Mozambique, with African nationalism and the reforms of Vatican II playinga part. The conflict manifested in many ways: a bishop's flight from his diocese, a congregation abandoning the territory in protest against the collusion between church and state, and a declaration of class struggle in the church. All of these events, occurring against the backdrop of the war for Mozambican independence, make the region an especially fruitful location for the pioneering analysis proffered in this important study. ERIC MORIER-GENOUD is Senior Lecturer in African History at Queen's University Belfast.

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9781580469418

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Catholicism and the Making of Politics in Central Mozambique, 1940-1986 makes a crucial point in brilliant fashion. Far from being the monolithic entity that scholars often assume it to be, the Catholic Church is in fact a complex array of elements that have considerable autonomy stemming from cultural, historical, national, and sociological factors, an autonomy that can put them at considerable variance. Eric Morier-Genoud illustrates this in the case of Mozambique, from impressive research conducted over many years, on different continents and in a variety of languages. I recommend Catholicism and the Making of Politics whole-heartedly.-Paul Gifford, University of London This study is highly recommendable in terms of both content and methodology. THE ZIMBABWEAN

Catholicism and the Making of Politics in Central Mozambique, 1940-1986 makes a crucial point in brilliant fashion. Far from being the monolithic entity that scholars often assume it to be, the Catholic Church is in fact a complex array of elements that have considerable autonomy stemming from cultural, historical, national, and sociological factors, an autonomy that can put them at considerable variance. Eric Morier-Genoud illustrates this in the case of Mozambique, from impressive research conducted over many years, on different continents and in a variety of languages. I recommend Catholicism and the Making of Politics whole-heartedly.-Paul Gifford, University of London

Catholicism and the Making of Politics in Central Mozambique, 1940-1986,, makes a crucial point in brilliant fashion. Far from being the monolithic entity that scholars often assume it to be, the Catholic Church is in fact a complex array of elements that have considerable autonomy stemming from cultural, historical, national, and sociological factors, an autonomy that can put them at considerable variance. Eric Morier-Genoud illustrates this in the case of Mozambique, from impressive research conducted over many years, on different continents and in a variety of languages. I recommend Catholicism and the Making of Politics whole-heartedly.-Paul Gifford, University of London

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