Catholic Traditionalism and Religious Fundamentalism: a study of the cases of the personal apostolic administration of Saint John Mary Vianney and the Dom Bosco Center

Abstract

Based on the concepts and arguments of Berger and Zijderveld (2012) regarding fundamentalism, this article seeks to reflect and draw inferences on whether “Catholic traditionalists” can be considered fundamentalists. Defining Catholic traditionalists as those who prefer the Tridentine Mass while rejecting various innovations of Vatican II, the authors of this article present a brief overview of these groups in Brazil. Due to the number and diversity of these groups, a case study methodology was chosen. Two groups are analyzed: the Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney and the Dom Bosco Center for Faith and Politics (CDB). With distinct profiles and histories, these two groups were chosen both for their differences and for their emergence in Brazil. Based on information shared by each group on social media and websites, as well as data collected from studies conducted by other researchers, the authors identify characteristics that bring these groups closer to what is known as fundamentalism. Among these characteristics, the degree of rejection of the contemporary world and the presence of intolerant practices and discourses toward those who are different—even within their own religion—stand out. The article also highlights other traits of fundamentalism, such as aggressive and warlike political rhetoric, as well as the use of the internet as a means of dissemination and its increasing appeal among young people, aspects that are more evident in CDB. The study concludes that CDB tends to align more closely with various contemporary religious fundamentalisms than the Personal Apostolic Administration, which has become more moderate over the years.