POLÍTICA, RELIGIÃO E IMPRENSA: DEBATES NA IMPRENSA SOBRE O BISPADO DE D. FREI LUIZ DA CONCEIÇÃO SARAIVA DURANTE A QUESTÃO RELIGIOSA (1872-1875)

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on analyzing the controversies in nineteenth-century periodicals involving the then bishop of Maranhão, Dom Frei Luiz da Conceição Saraiva, during the Religious Question. In this sense, our analysis covers the years 1872 to 1875, a period that comprises the years of greatest intensity of the conflict. The peak of the controversy involving the bishop of the diocese of Maranhão is related to the nonpublication of a papal brief, entitled Quamquam Dolores, which condemned Freemasonry in Brazil. The position adopted by the bishop represented an apparent lack of support for his colleagues' struggles against Freemasonry, as well as giving rise to various speculations in the press about his position in the conflict. The approach we intend to take dialogues with Connected History and New Political History, since we understand the historical process from an integrated perspective and perceive the political bias intertwined in the power relations analyzed in this section. We start from the assumption that ideas are not neutral or devoid of influence, sometimes representing the interests of those who subscribe to certain worldviews. Finally, with the aim of understanding the influence of the press in the formation of a public space for political and religious debates in the imperial provinces, we will follow these steps: 1) we will contextualize the relationship between Politics, Religion, and the Press; 2) we will situate Bishop Saraiva in the internal disputes of the Religious Question; and, finally, 3) we will analyze the debates in the press involving the bishopric of Saraiva.