Rights, women's citizenship and religion

Abstract

The text examines the complex relations between elements of modern culture of rights, the political proposals of contemporary feminists and the ideals and values of Catholicism. In the first part, the article analyzes the contribution of the Catholic Church in Brazil in constructing a certain 'rights culture,' during the 1960s, 70s and 80s, through the so-called 'Base Ecclesiastical Communities' - the CEBs. At the theoretical level, I explore the interminable conflict between the Catholic Church and the modern values that have formed the base of women's demands since the 18th century. Finally, returning to the sociohistorical reality of the women's movement, I approach the question of extending the concept of rights to include the recently emergent 'sexual and reproductive rights,' as a new, ma non troppo, field of conflict between feminist and Catholic ideas.