From Geneva to São Paulo: Charles Harper, Jaime Wright, Paulo Arns and the Role of the World Council of Churches in the Ecumenical Resistance to Latin American Dictatorships

Abstract

From the 1970s to 1980s, when several countries of the Southern Cone were under repressive military dictatorships inspired by the Doctrine of National Security, the World Council of Churches (WCC) played a fundamental role in denouncing human rights violations in Brazil and other Latin American countries. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, WCC brings together Protestant and Orthodox churches from around the world and is one of the most important ecumenical organisations on the global scene. WCC appointed Presbyterian Reverend Charles Harper as head of the Human Rights Resources Office for Latin America, through which it maintained contact with important Christian figures involved in democratic activism. In Brazil, pastor Jaime Wright and Cardinal Dom Paulo Evaristo Arns stood out as two of its main contacts. Among the most significant ecumenical efforts to protect victims of dictatorships and denounce state crimes are the Clamor Group and the Brasil: Nunca Mais project, both funded by WCC. This article seeks to analyse how the connection of Wright, Arns and Harper shaped an ecumenical resistance and shed light on the repressive nature of these regimes in Latin America.