ABSTRACT
Harvard professor and former director of the US Catholic Conference Office of Social Development and World Peace Father Brian Hehir, in a recent lecture at Columbia University, suggested three different ways in which the church could be regarded as influencing the promotion of human rights: by the institutional and hierarchical church structures. In further study of perceptions in Latin America about the efforts of the church, it might be useful to be aware of which strain has been most operative in the various national situations and during the various eras. At the level of Catholic social thought, Professor Crahan cites the documents of the Second Vatican Council and, naturally enough, those developed by or with Latin Americans. In an attempt to discredit religious people whose faith called them to actively oppose oppression, plans were made and efforts were funded to enhance authoritarianism in Latin America.
