CAN ANYONE WHO KNOWS TELL US IF THE POST VATICAN II CHURCH OF CHILE WAS PROGRESSIVE/LIBERAL OR CONSERVATIVE/TRADITIONAL, ORTHODOX OR HETERODOX?

ReutBishop Juan Barros was met with protests at the Osorno cathedral, south of Santiago, when he was consecrated bishop in 2015.

How can the Catholic Church in Chile be classified? Does anyone know? We know from liberation theology as practiced in South and Central America politicized the Church there in a far left direction bringing about a Church and Church members far more hungry for political power and dictatorial influence then promoting the beauty of traditional Catholicism Faith and culture.


Thus the way this Jesuit describes the Church of Chile today is it this way because it is traditional/conservative or progressive/liberal?

From Crux:

Father Eduardo Silva Arevalo, rector of Chile’s Jesuit university, defined the pope’s message to the Chilean bishops in Rome as “very strong and evangelical.”

The priest told Crux that the “poor Church we are now, centered on ourselves, without pastoral harmony with the people of God, on the defensive, clerical, and accused of abuses and negligent to address them” contrasts with a once-prophetic Chilean Church.

In the past, he said, the Church in the country was a defender of human rights, close to the poor, emphatic with popular piety and the indigenous Mapuche people, at the service of base ecclesial communities.

“The resignation [of the bishops] is a sign of a call to conversion, repentance and change, a first step on a very long road,” Silva said.

I found this summary on the internet describing Chile today, which is symptomatic of most developed countries and how the Church's hierarchy meshed in politics has created division:

  Chile used to be more isolated, poorer and less educated. Today there is a broader middle class, with better access to information. Perhaps most importantly, the public's politics seem to be less influenced by the Catholic Church.

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The middle class "is a group educated in non-religious public schools, so they have a much more secular vision of society," says Ana María Stuven, a professor of history at the Pontificia Universidad Católica.

In Chile's history, "religion and power have been intrinsically tied," she says. And despite the separation of church and state in 1925, the Catholic hierarchy maintained a strong influence on politics.

"The Catholic Church and conservative organizations had many economic and political resources at its disposal, such as universities, think tanks, media ownership, and used them to promote a very conservative family and sexuality agenda," says Merike Blofield, associate professor of political science at the University of Miami and author of "The Politics of Moral Sin: Abortion and Divorce in Spain, Argentina and Chile."

The Catholic elite's power, however, took a strong blow the past decade, when several sex abuse cases by high profile priests came to light. This, added to the global transition toward more individualistic societies and the deep distrust Chileans have in their institutions, led to the rise of more liberal views, political scientists say.

Polls show that 10 years ago, 44 percent of Chileans trusted the Catholic Church, whereas only 22 percent currently do, explains Francisca Alessandri, researcher at the Center of Public Policies of the Pontificia Universidad Católica and coordinator of the "Encuesta Bicentenario" (Bicentennial Survey), which has been measuring cultural indicators yearly since 2010.

"People don't want to act upon pre-established norms anymore," she says. "So they say, 'I don't go to church, I pray at home. I don't necessarily get married, I live with my partner.'"

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Others attribute the change to a rise in political activism that started with widespread student protests to request free education in 2011. That social movement, says Izikson from Cadem polling company, went far beyond showing students´ dissatisfaction.

"That year is a symbol of the changes occurring now," he says. "That's when students, but also parents and grandparents, protested. And it was not only about education, it was about Chile showing its general discontent."

At that moment, he says, support for same-sex marriage and abortion started rising in the polls.

While Amigo believes there is still much to achieve in Chile, she feels like the country has come a long way already.

"Ten years ago nobody even talked about LGTBI issues or there was disrespect," she says. "Chile has definitely opened up."