Reseña de Católicos y política en América Latina antes de la democracia cristiana (1880-1950).

The article is a review of the book "Catholics and Politics in Latin America before Christian Democracy (1880-1950)" compiled by Martín Castro and Diego Mauro. The book examines the links between political parties and the Catholic Church in Latin America during the first half of the 20th century, highlighting the political initiatives of Catholics and their attempt to intervene in local and regional political scenarios with a social Christian perspective. It also analyzes the role of political Catholicism in Latin America, including its influence on social issues and its relationship with the encyclical Rerum Novarum. The article highlights the disputes between the State and the Church on issues such as education, as well as the transformation of political Catholicism towards more committed positions with political institutions and the formation of autonomous Christian democratic parties. It emphasizes the configuration of a transatlantic Christian democratic network and the importance of references such as Sturzo and Maritain. Overall, the article proposes a fruitful dialogue between different Latin American cases on political Catholicism in the region. [Extracted from the article]