Abstract

RINCON RUBIO, Luis. The Catholic Church in the State of Zulia and the Venezuelan Coup D’état of 1948. Revista de Ciencias Sociales [online]. 2009, vol.15, n.2, pp.329-343. ISSN 1315-9518.

This study presents an approach to the political-religious discourse of the ecclesiastical hierarchy at the Diocese of Zulia, Venezuela, in relation to the Venezuelan coup d’État of November 24th, 1948, according to editorials in the newspaper, « La Columna ». It was found that the editorial line of this newspaper at the end of the 1945-1948 period, demonstrates strong opposition by the ecclesiastical hierarchy in the State of Zulia to the three-year government of the Acción Democrática party, which tries to discredit it by disseminating negative discourse regarding government action in the social, moral and educational spheres, based on a concept of the governmental party as an arm of international communism. Once President Rómulo Gallegos had been overthrown, the editors of “La Columna” granted unconditional support to the military junta governing the country, spreading a legitimizing discourse for the Coup d’État, associating the overthrown government with chaos, immorality, corruption and the incapacity to govern, and the Armed Forces with the return of morality, peace, security and well-being for the Venezuelan family.

Keywords : Church; Zulia; coup d’Etat; democracy; acción democrática.