New relationships between state, religion and social policies in the Uruguay of the 21st century

Abstract

Uruguay is the most secularized country in Latin America. The formal separation of the State and the Catholic Church has been a pioneer on the continent since the beginning of the twentieth century. For this reason, there is a deep-rooted perception that religious institutions have limited or no participation in the public sphere, being largely relegated to the private sphere. Although the churches, especially the Catholic Church, lost influence in the national democratic sphere, they continued to carry out various social activities. Although the country has undergone a process of secularization that has gradually reduced the religious presence in the public sphere and in the management of state services, this has not implied its disappearance. On the contrary, this paper shows how in the twenty-first century an unprecedented and close strategic partnership is being built between the Uruguayan State and various religious institutions to implement social public policies.