Abstract
The article focuses on the changes the Brazilian episcopate underwent during the second half of the Twentieth Century. The conditions of development of the Catholic hierarchy point out a process of institutional autonomization and professionalization of the religious body, based on a strong import flow of models of religious excellence and of workforce. The outcomes of this process are visible mainly in two aspects: a ruling elite marked by the predominance of individuals from the South and Southeast of Brazil, recruited amidst rural groups of immigrant descendants; and the high value of a Romanized religious profile, including experiences abroad and broader cultural and management skills.
Episcopate; Catholic Church; Elites; Ruling groups