THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF CEARÁ IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PROCLAMATION OF THE REPUBLIC AND THE SECULARIZATION OF THE BRAZILIAN STATE (1889 - 1891)

Abstract

In Brazil, the end of the 19th century was the scene of several political, economic, social and religious events that, together, changed, especially in the religious field, some of the assumptions of society at the time. Taking the years 1889 to 1891 as a time frame, this article will seek to analyze the actions developed by the Catholic Church, with emphasis on the clergy from Ceará, through the Diocese of Fortaleza, during the process of Proclamation of the Republic and Laicization of the Brazilian State, which took place in November 15, 1889, with the overthrow of the Monarchy. To achieve this aim, we will use as main sources the periodicals that circulated in the province of Ceará in the time frame established above, among them: O Cearense, O Libertador and Gazeta do Norte, which were taken from the virtual page of the Hemeroteca Nacional, in addition to some fragments from the republican constitutions, the provisional one, dated 1889, and the definitive one, enacted in 1891. In line with this, we will use, as a theoretical-methodological contribution, the historiographical productions, such as articles, dissertations, theses and books, which discuss regarding the matter.