Religious Influences In El Salvador

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Much as one might tend to personally identify by their faith, nation-states can be deeply informed and shaped by their religious identity or even by their religious majority. Outwardly, El Salvador might seem one of such states with heavy religious influence, but historically one sees a more interestly nuanced relationship between the institution of the Catholic Church, the governmental structures of El Salvador, and people. The Catholic Church has operated within both on the popular and oppositional ends of the spectrum and has inserted itself across various sectors of potential influence at various points in Salvadoran history. The Church has been not just a religious norm-setting institution, but an economic player, an intellectual influence, …show more content…
The Christian-Democratic Party (PCD) was founded in 1960 as a political foothold for Catholics. Although some policy drew inspiration from Vatican statements, generally Church principles were applied to appeal to varied smaller interests- promoting traditional roles for women, strong labor code, and environmental protections. Labor interests had been a large focus of church policy across Latin America, often allying itself with protests and extending aid to those seeking to unionize. The PCD held a politically unique proposition on land ownership, favoring neither state nor private ownership, but an equitable redistribution of land by the state in order to form a sizeable middle class. By the 1970s the PCD had become the predominant spoiler party to the military regime, and following the war situated itself as a centrist party. In years following, the political sphere in El Salvador has polarized more strongly around leftist and conservative parties with traditional populism and prestige players presenting less of an appeal. Despite declining influence, it has held one of the longest lifetimes and enduring influence in Salvadoran …show more content…
Emigration from El Salvador has continued to increase following the end of the Civil War, despite governmental changes and nominally improving economic conditions. Salvadorans compose one of the largest shares of US immigration at 3% overall, despite the population of El Salvador being less than 1/20th of the Philippines at 5% or 1/200th of India at 6%. Cities like the District of Columbia, which receive large shares of Salvador migrants, become home to strong diaspora communities. These diaspora communities intensely linked both culturally and economically to mainland El Salvador, with remittance accounting for 18% of National GDP. While diaspora communities in DC are marked by partially by language usage, they are easily identified by culturally-specific church parishes. It is not uncommon for Catholic Churches in urban areas to maintain connections internationally via “sister churches” or charitable programs designed to benefit Latin America. One of the largest charitable development organizations that operates in El Salvador, Caritas Internationalis, also caters to the El Salvadoran population in the District of Columbia as Catholic Charities DC. In addition to operating free medical clinics and offering food assistance, Catholic Charities DC offers legal assistance to migrants of various statuses. Organizations like Catholic Charities DC give the
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