Sujeitos e bastidores do insucesso da criação da Diocese de Arapiraca, Alagoas (2003)

Abstract

This work aims to analyze the confrontational relationship between the bishop and the priest of the Diocese of Penedo-AL, as well as its possible influence in the non-implementation of the elevation of the city of Arapiraca-AL to the category of diocese, in 2003. The research is structured into three chapters: “You need to silence soon”, “The pro-diocese movement of Arapiraca” and “The outcome of the plot”. We begin the narrative with emphasis on an email sent between clergy of the Diocese of Penedo, in which the leak of news about the creation of the diocese in Arapiraca is criticized, which did not please the authorities, requesting confidentiality. This situation leads us to explore the power relations present in the context, using Pierre Bourdieu's ideas as a theoretical reference. Throughout the research, we sought to identify the author of the e-mail and discuss the concept of “event”, using the theoretical contributions of François Dosse. Reflecting on the event leads us to understand the relationship between memory, silence and history, based on the ideas of Loiva Otero Félix. To understand the complexity of the topic, we delved into the fragmented memories found in the email and oral history interviews conducted. Following Carlo Ginzburg, we seek to make sense of the small details to uncover the main reasons that generated internal conflict in the local Church and the lack of motivation in the group that worked on the formation of the new diocese of Arapiraca. The analysis of the determinations, positions and reactions to the sending and reading of the e-mail served as a basis for understanding the events that involved the noncompletion of the diocese of Arapiraca, in 2003. In the end, we present new perspectives on the relationship between clerics and their influence on ecclesiastical decision-making, contributing to knowledge on this topic and to studies of history and sociology of religion.