Religious Institutions and Resistance to Dictators: The Bishops Opposed to Argentina’s Dirty War

“Religious Institutions and Resistance to Dictators: The Bishops Opposed to Argentina’s Dirty War”

Pearce Edwards

Emory University

Abstract:

How does religious institutions’ opposition to dictatorships affect repression? Repression occurs in a context in which some communal elites, such as religious leaders, resist state violence. This paper argues that these leaders, embedded among local communities and possessing influence based on traditional authority, reduce repression when they oppose dictatorships. The argument is tested in Argentina during the Dirty War of its 1976-1983 military dictatorship, using original archival data on Catholic bishops. Opposed bishops reduced disappearances and killings in areas under their jurisdiction, potentially saving hundreds of lives. Furthermore, geographic variation in bishop opposition is plausibly exogenous to regime politics and socioeconomic characteristics, suggesting a causal interpretation. An instrumental variables analysis leveraging the pope who appointed bishops strengthens the results, while evidence is presented that public mobilization could explain how opposed bishops reduced repression. The findings generalize to Catholic religious orders opposed to the regime.