The Rise of Public Religion in Countries of Catholic Tradition

Abstract: Secularization has been considered an important process explaining the transformation of religion. In recent decades, however, this theory has proven to be aprioristic and incomplete. This chapter traces the most recent de-privatization strategies that the Catholic Church has mobilized to maintain its role as an influential agent in the public space of moral policy debates. The chapter is divided into three sections. The first analyzes tensions between religion and politics in the context of the rise of Catholicism as a “public religion” and its participation in different controversies. The second section identifies strategies used by the secularized laity to increase its presence in public space. And the third section characterizes the identity framework known as the “culture of life,” in which believers are educated in the face of the advance of secularization. Overall, the chapter examines and compares the scenarios, strategies, and collective identity frameworks that Catholicism has refurbished in order to continue to be a relevant political actor in contemporary society.