Peace Bishops: Lessons from Dom Hélder Câmara in Brazil: Inquiry, teaching, and aesthetics

Authors

Louis Edgar Esparza, California State University – Los AngelesFollow

Abstract

This essay explains how Dom Hélder Câmara, archbishop of Olinda and Recife, used the traditions of critical inquiry, Catholic social teaching, and cultural aesthetics to advocate for the poor in the northeast of Brazil during the military dictatorship of 1964-1985. It details the adversity that Câmara and others in his position faced, providing some historical context for those events. Drawing from social movement and theological sources, the article then proceeds to highlight critical inquiry, Catholic social teaching, and cultural aesthetics as driving forces in Câmara’s work.

Copyright Statement

Copyright © The Author(s) 2024

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Esparza, Louis Edgar (2024) "Peace Bishops: Lessons from Dom Hélder Câmara in Brazil: Inquiry, teaching, and aesthetics," The Journal of Social Encounters: Vol. 8: Iss. 2, 299-309.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.69755/2995-2212.1292
Available at: https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/social_encounters/vol8/iss2/17