Abstract

SANTOS LEPERA, Lucía. Models in Tension: the Disputes between the Bishop and Parish Priests Regarding the Centralization of the Catholic Church in the 1930s (Tucuman, Argentina). Secuencia [online]. 2017, n.99, pp.160-184. ISSN 2395-8464.  https://doi.org/10.18234/secuencia.v0i99.1542.

This article analyzes the tensions in the relationship between the bishop, Agustín Barrere, and the parish priests of the Tucumán diocese in the 1930s. To this end, we explore the reform of the clergy that sought to promote the new prelate, whose ideal model of priesthood was based on unity and obedience to hierarchy. This supports the hypothesis that the bishop’s policies encountered significant resistance from the parish priests, whose experiences with the diocese’s parishes shaped a specific tradition for their role, in opposition to the priest profile projected by Barrere. In this regard, we analyze two cases of priests whose pastoral duties led them to an open confrontation with the hierarchy, revealing the limits of the bishop’s policies.

Keywords : catholic Church; romanization; bishop; parish priests; Tucumán.