Religion, politics, and death

Martyrdom and persecution in twentieth-century Latin America

Abstract

The paper recounts the stories of Christian martyrs in Latin America from the 1920s to the present, so as to illustrate the causes of the killings of both Protestants and Catholics. The review of cases reveals the differences over time, with the Second Vatican Council marking the primary dividing point, as it produced a complex transformation of faith-based social movements in Latin America. The impact of liberation theology recurs in many cases of clergy and lay believers targeted by civil wars and dictatorships.