Ties involving the Catholic Church, government and solidarity economy

• Grant number: 12/51434-8
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants - Publications - Books published in Brazil
• Start date: March 01, 2013
• End date: February 28, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Sociology - Other specific Sociologies
• Principal Investigator: André Ricardo de Souza
• Grantee: André Ricardo de Souza
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Catholic Church is a kind of source to some social movements, including solidarity economy, whose core is self-government. Solidarity economy aims at rescuing values cooperatives values and practices from the 19th century. Those ones were also lived by priests in the 1950s and 60s, as a consequence of the "Christian third way" ideas. Many current solidarity economic enterprises have been built up getting direct support and influence from Catholic pastoralist and organisms, mainly from an organization named Caritas. Not only was the Catholic Church reoriented by the liberation Theology but also Caritas in order to replace paternalistic practices by other ones, which join support and political mobilization. Solidarity economy and social pastoralist have been taking part of the PT federal government, with important implications. On the other hand, the church under Pope Bento XVI government has restated controversial positions facing the secular world, including its political issues. This book brings up an analysis of the ideological and practical relationship among the Catholic Church, the PT government and the solidarity economy movement. (AU)