Sínodos y concilios chilenos, 1584(?)-1961

Abstract

This article studies the synods and councils made in Chile between 1584 and 1961. These are divided into two periods, Colonial synods (1584-1774) and Chilean synods (1851-1961). The sources used are the preserved acts of the synods and councils held, letters from the bishops to the king or the pope and different documents on canonical legislation. The article concludes that, despite the synodal discipline required by the Council of Trent, the periodic holding of synods has not been in force in Chile. In addition, it establishes differences between both periods, where the colonial synods were characterized by the mixture of civil and religious authority and the tendency to correct and punish. While the Chilean synods were characterized by the gradual distancing of the civil government and a positive promotion of the good.