Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies
Catholic despite major gains by Protestant groups, especially
evangelical, charismatic, and spiritualist sects (see Religion, ch.
2). The Dominican Roman Catholic Church historically has
been conservative and traditionalist, generally supporting the
status quo and the existing power structure. But the Roman
Catholic Church also has been weak institutionally, with few
priests (fewer than 200 in the entire country) , little land, few
educational or social institutions, and little influence over the
daily lives of most Dominicans.
Since the 1960s, the Roman Catholic Church has ceased to
identify wholly with the status quo. Rather, it has tended to
advocate moderate change. It has organized mainstream Catholic
political parties, trade unions, student groups, peasant
leagues, and businessmen's associations.
Liberation theology has made few inroads in the Dominican
Republic. A few priests espouse liberationist ideas, but they are
not considered to be in the mainstream of the clergy. Nor have
there been calls by church officials for an alliance with Marxist
groups, let alone calls for guerrilla struggles or other militant
action against the system. During the 1980s and 1990s, the
church often played a mediating role in political and social
conflicts, particularly through Monsignor Agripino Nunez Collado,
rector of the Pontifical Catholic University Mother and
Teacher.
As the Dominican Republic has modernized and secularized,
the church has lost some of its influence. The country
legalized divorce in 1963 and instituted government-sponsored
family planning in 1967, two measures that the church had
opposed. The church seldom has succeeded in mobilizing voters
in support of its favored programs. With only some 10 percent
of the population engaged as active, practicing Catholics,
and with Protestant groups continuing to grow rapidly, church
influence has continued to decline during the 1990s. While
Balaguer was in office, there was a particularly strong link
between his government and the conservative cardinal and
Archbishop of Santo Domingo Nicolas de Jesus Lopez
Rodriguez. However, increasingly the importance of Protestant
voices within organized religion is recognized, and secular
influences in culture and education continue to grow.
Armed Forces
One of the most significant changes in the Dominican
Republic during the past several decades has been the lessen-
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