Popular Voices in Latin American Catholicism (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 171 will always be EC unity before any Eastern European considerations. On the "eastern front," U.S. policy towards Russia is likely to be more concerned with the dangerous Ukraine, than with by now predictable Poland. Furthermore, in times ofeconomic problems at home, the troubles in Eastern Europe seem quite remote. The U.S. government appears determined to extract progress—however slow— with as little expense as possible. As so often in the past, Eastern Europe is slowly "disappearing off the political map." While not an optimal outcome, such "benign neglect" does not have to turn into a tragedy. The West still tends to view the situation in Eastern Europe in the classic Cold War black-or-white terms. But everything is not either bad or good. J.F. Brown quotes William the Silent in his famous admonition: "one need not hope in order to undertake; nor succeed in order to persevere." Over the ages Eastern Europe has shown stoic perseverance; perhaps success should be measured in those terms. It is true that tremendous opportunities are being lost. It is also true that grave dangers abound in the region. But in the end, the two world wars have been caused by the Great Power conflict, and Eastern Europe just provided a pretext. There seems to be no superpower antagonism today. The authors ofthis stimulating volume, while bemoaningthe lost opportunities, take heart in whatever progress has already been achieved. Popular Voices in Latin American Catholicism. By Daniel H. Levine. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992. 403 pp. $24.95/Hardback. Reviewed by Susan Roraff, MA. Georgetown University, 1992. Daniel Levine makes an important contribution to the literature on Catholicism and liberation theology in Latin America with Popular Voices in Latin American Catholicism. According to Levine, this title reflects a broad transformation that is occurring throughout Latin America which allows the voices ofordinary men and women to emerge. Individual empowerment, however, challenges the role of the progressive church as the "voice of the voiceless." That role, he argues, has maintained longstanding distinctions between the church and its followers, for without the voice ofthe church they remain "silent objects." Through extensive interviews with priests, nuns, pastoral agents, and the ordinary faithful in Colombia and Venezuela, Levine allows these voices to be heard. As a result, the reader can better comprehend the process of self-creation, conflict, and change that is taking place within the Latin American church. Criticizing liberation theology, Levine states that it is easier for the church to speak for the poor than to empower them to speak and act for themselves. In focusing on this argument, however, the positive influences of liberation theology are overlooked. He mentions that liberation theology has contributed to the démystification of authority and the participation of the poor on equal terms, and has legitimized these changes in religious terms. However, he does not elaborate on other major influences of liberation theology. For example, liberation theologists recognize that the church cannot remain apolitical ifit is to serve the whole person, because people are political. It also holds that poverty is not the result ofpersonal failure, but the product of the economic system, and is something the church and 172 SAIS REVIEW society should fight against. Liberation theologists realize that the church should begin a dialogue with the modern world. Levine devotes much attention to the Christian Base Communities (CEB), arguing that it is important to study what these groups do on a daily basis, and not why they become politically active. He reminds the reader that these groups are much more religious than is commonly portrayed, and research should focus on the religious activities of the groups, especially Bible study. In this sense, Popular Voices offers a new approach to studying the CEBs; the political activities ofa few CEBs should not be the focal point ofa study on religion in Latin America. Levine concludes that reading the Bible in groups gives members valuable experience in working together as equals, promotes participation, legitimizes collective action, and reinforces their confidence to act independently. Levine also dispels the common assumption that CEBs work independently from the church hierarchy. In fact, these groups are most often organized by...