Analysis of legal processes and Catholic associations
How does conservative Catholic activism organize and operate in contemporary Brazil? This ISER report analyzes the activities of conservative Catholic associations, paying attention both to judicialization strategies and other forms of presence and intervention in public life.
The research identified 22 associations and analyzed 28 legal proceedings involving conservative Catholic groups. Only five of the mapped entities directly filed lawsuits, while the others operate through strategies such as training, content production, public mobilization, pastoral and assistance work, and political articulation. The report also identifies four axes that structure this field: defense of life, defense of the family and sexual morality, religious freedom and Christian legal values, and conservative intellectual production.
The study shows how these different fronts are articulated in an ecosystem of organizations with diverse profiles and strategies, also traversed by alliances between Catholics and Evangelicals on certain issues. The report continues ISER's research on conservative Catholicism and is part of the institution's ongoing work monitoring the relationships between religion, politics, and public life in Brazil.
