| Summary: | This dissertation analyzes the nature and degree of attitudinal change that has taken place within a key sector of the Catholic Church, i.e, lay leaders, in the period between 1966 and 1987 in two different national contexts, Chile and the United States. It builds on an unfinished study by Ivan Vallier, who attempted to clarify the ambiguous position of the laity in the Church and in society, in implementing the reforms of Vatican II. The author interviewed 96 middle-class lay leaders, plus dozens of informants. The analysis examines continuity and change on three issues. Some key findings include: a significant change in concepts of Church and God, toward more intimate/maternal images that encompass an active social dimension; much greater salience and complexity of the 'democratization' issue, particularly concerning the role of women, in the American Church; and the continuing imperative of the socio-political issue for the Chileans and their demands for more, not less, political involvement by the hierarchy. The results reflect the persistent tensions between 'progressive' and 'conservative' models of change, and help to explain the continuing importance of religion in modern society.
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