Problems of Hispanic Catholics

In his chapter on "The Struggle for Rights," Moises Sandoval addresses the problems of Hispanic Catholics that grew out of the Church's neglect of the cultural differences between this large minority and the majority of American Catholics. Sandoval charts the slow progress made by Hispanics, from the 1940s through the late 1980s, in attaining influence, and basic rights, within the Church. Throughout the chapter the reader is struck by the incredible shortsightedness of the Church hierarchy's failure to address this problem in any effective way. Resistance to measures that would only encourage Hispanic Catholics, and possibly even add to their numbers, was the status quo for many decades. And, even after some gains were made, the resistance continues. For, despite all their protests to the contrary, what emerges most clearly is that the American Church's attitudes toward Hispanics was founded entirely on ethnic prejudice--coupled, of course, with some strong resistance to ministering to the poor. But, though they made some progress in their difficulties with the Church, the movimiento that emerged during this struggle also began to face significant internal problems. Since there is no monolithic "Hispanic" culture, the initial resistance to Church prejudice--a prejudice all Hispanics faced--gradually lost focus as shared concerns were replaced by conflicting interests among various Hispanic factions. As Sandoval's concluding sections indicate, however, the future of

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nal Encuentro in 1972, that "the training of all candidates for the priesthood in all the dioceses of the United States should include formation in spoken Spanish and Hispanic culture" (81). This is clearly ridiculous. But, at the time, many believed that such responses were reasonable in light of the prevailing prejudices. As time has passed, however, the monolithic designation "Hispanic" has gradually lost its meaning in many respects. Sandoval notes, for example, that the Second National Encuentro, in 1977, was conducted entirely in Spanish. This was progress--according to the terms of the first Encuentro. But, the exclusive use of Spanish favored the Cubans and recent immigrants while "the Mexican Americans who were more accustomed to English became frustrated" (83). This is not progress at all. In another instance, Sandoval reports that when an Ecuadorian was ordained bishop in 1971, as an auxiliary in Los Angeles, "his being named had created disappointment among Mexican Americans, who wanted one of their own" (75). Clearly, the demand-for-rights approach has only a limited usefulness. If, once Spanish-speaking persons are appointed bishop, the people want only Mexican Americans, there is no possible end to what

Category: Philosophy - P