Since Ignatius of Loyola’s Letter to the Fathers and Brothers at Padua, 1547, the Social Apostolate has been one of the central dimensions of charism in the Society of Jesus. However, this gained a higher profile during the creation of the so-called Centers of Research and Social Action (CIAS) in several South American countries between 1950 and 1970. Based on documentation originating from various files from the Society of Jesus in Brazil, Italy, Mexico and Paraguay, we will discuss the origins and articulations of South American CIAS, initially through the Inter-Secretariat for Social Action (SIAS), and then through the Latin American Council of CIAS (CLACIAS), by inserting them in a context marked by ideological and political biases. Throughout the article, we try to show the central hypothesis of our research: the trajectory of CIAS is marked by constant tension between two opposing forces: (a) the commitment to social justice and (b) the fight against communism.
Society of Jesus; CIAS; Social Justice; Liberation theology; South America
