Religious leaders, religious groups and politics in Puerto Rico.

Abstract

One of the problems of the study of contemporary politics in Puerto Rico is the lack of work on the relationship between religious leaders, religious groups and political institutions such as the state, political movements and political parties. In recent years, the social and political activism of religious leaders and groups, both Catholic and Protestant has shaped both the religious and political landscape of Puerto Rico. These leaders and groups have the power to legitimate of delegitimate social and political arrangements, institutions and processes. Catholic political activism results from the opposition to statehood as an option for political status. The Puerto Rican Catholic Church fears statehood will lead to further growth of Evangelicalism and to changes in the legal status and structure of the Church. Intra-institutional tension and conflict stemming from conflicting ideas about the proper role of the Church in politics, and the Church-related organizations, also affect the political stances the Catholic Church takes. Evangelical political action and support to the pro-statehood political party, is aimed at developing an effective role in social and political institutions. The religious-political dynamics examined takes place within the context of massive theological, ideological, and institutional transformation of religion in Puerto Rico. As in other Latin American countries, the rapid and extensive growth of Evangelicals, particularly Pentecostals, and their increasing social and political activism is undermining the Catholic Church's religious, social, and political hegemony.