Les missions populars i la visita pastoral a Barcelona durant l'episcopat de Costa i Borràs (1850-1857)

• Autores: Casimir Martí
• Localización: Revista catalana de teología, ISSN 0210-5551, Vol. 5, Nº. 1, 1980, págs. 181-221
• Idioma: catalán
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• Resumen

  • This chapter forms part of a study being undertaken about religious life in the Diocese of Barcelona during the decade 1850 to 1860. It is a period of great importance in the life of the Church in Spain as a whole. The liberal regime, although it was still to experience subsequent oscillations, was in a situation of clear consolidation during this epoch. By means of the Concordate of 1851, the Cnurch decideci to accept in principie the new circumstances and, once having overcome the wave of Mendizabal's disentailment, to admit a fundamental change, i. e. that of depending' on the State for a substantial part of its economy. This dependence was accentuated by the so called Madoz. disentailment which took place starting from May, 1855. On the other hand, the workers' movement was showing spectacular development in Catalonia in the two year period 1854 to 1856. Unfortunately, the Church found itself too deeply involved in lhe defence againsl the pressure of lhe civil power of what it considered -its rights; and also by its preoccupation in maintaining the internal discipline of the congregation of the faithful, protecting them against external corruption. Fully occupied with these matters, the Church as a whole showed itself to be insensitive to the specific characteristics of the class struggle and, in more general terms, the outlines of the growing industrial society. An analysis of the mission sermons on the one hand, and of the pastoral visit decrees on the other, show the importance that, under those circumstances, those responsible for the Church gave to the re-establishment of particular forms of moral behaviour and to ecclesiastic discipline. With the final victory of the liberal forces in the stri~ggle against the Carlists, some notable changes had been introduced both in the real played by the Church in society, and in the moral habits of the people. In the circurnstances it seems that tho:sle responsible for the Church placed their confidence in jolting the consciences oP the faithful by rneans of missionary preaching and by the proxirnity of the figure of the Bishop with his personal recornrnendations. It did not even occur to the Church that perhaps it rnight be being called upon to carry out a deep analysis of the changes taking place, to reconsider its rdle in society and to revise its own interna1 discipline. None of these three perspectives are found in the range of possibilities offered by the current theology and praxis of the Church. Its leaders appear to have based al1 their play on a single card - that of a pastoral of redeerning the flock for reintegration inlo the ecclesiastic fold, whose bonds had been relaxed due to the passing of time and !he uncertainties produced by the novelties of the age. The present study pays particular atllention on the one hand to the allegations of political involvement directed against the Clergy and on the other the precautions which the Clergy were in fact taking in this regard. The general conditions of ecclesiastic life in Spain rnade it very difficult to avoid such accusations. In fact, because of its refusal to make a public analysis of the political changes taking place, the Church was unable to prevent its activity in support of the restoration of moral habits and the previous ecclesiastic discipline, being interpreted (perhaps not without sorne foundation) as evidence of a desire for the return of the previous political institutions.