The Library Services de Autores Cristianos (BAC) has published the book Política y religión en la independencia de la América hispana, promoted by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and sponsored by the University of Navarra. It is edited by Josep-Ignasi Saranyana, professor of History of Theology at the University of Navarra and member of the Pontifical committee of Historical Sciences; and Juan Bosco Amores, professor of History of America at the University of the Basque Country.

The volume gathers the papers of the international symposium held at campus in Pamplona in October 2010 on the occasion of the bicentenaries of the independence of Ibero-American countries. Historians, theologians and political scientists from academic centers in Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland and the USA collaborated.

Respect for the Catholic Church and religion

The work covers the religious question in the independence of Hispanic America and, specifically, the involvement of the ecclesiastical hierarchy and the secular and regular clergy in the process. "Americanism recognizes the important role of the clergy in the revolution, both for its commitment to the enlightened elite that directed the course of events, and for the leading role it had traditionally played in the colonial societies of the Ancien Régime," say the editors.

"Many ecclesiastics - they add - contributed in a relevant way to the juridical conformation of the new nations, which thus emerged as Catholic republics, at least in their first moments. In any case, the new political leaders, with very few exceptions, recognized the absolute necessity of respecting the Catholic Church and religion as one of the elements core topic to achieve the unity of the very different social groups around the new republican project ."

The book will be presented on December 15 at the Salón De Degrees of the Universidad San Pablo CEU, in Madrid. Along with the authors, Jaume Aurell, Dean of the School of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Navarra; Alberto de la Hera, Full Professor emeritus of History of America of the Complutense University of Madrid; and Carlos Granados, director general of the Library Services of Christian Authors, will intervene.