Catolicismo: The Brazilian Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property and its Rhetoric for Human Rights during the Military Dictatorship (1968-1985)

• Grant number: 24/15909-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - History of Brazil
• Principal Investigator: Edilene Teresinha Toledo
• Grantee: Maria Rita Moureira da Silva
• Host Institution: Escola de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (EFLCH). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Guarulhos. Guarulhos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project seeks to investigate the Brazilian Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP) and its magazine, Catolicismo, highlighting its traditionalist, ultramontanist, and anti-communist approach. The TFP and its magazine promote values such as the preservation of traditions, family, and private property, while opposing socially engaged Catholicism. In this context, the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), which initially supported the military coup in the country but later adopted a stance more committed to human rights and social justice, became a target of criticism from the TFP and other traditionalist sectors. The goal is to problematize the concept of "human rights" as interpreted by the TFP, examining the arguments used to criticize the CNBB and support the military dictatorship. The research aims to understand the theoretical and ideological foundations of these positions, as well as their ethical and political implications in Brazilian history. By questioning these conceptions, the study aims to contribute to a critical debate on human rights, democracy, and the role of the Catholic Church in contemporary Brazilian history.