The proclamation of the Chilean civil code and its effects in the second half of the XIX century Church

Abstract

The Chilean Civil Code promulgated in 1855 has been considered highly positive for the Catholic Church by jurists and historians. It gave civil effect to certain canonic subjects and established clearly that religious cult would be regulated only by canonic right. This article suggest that the Church was dominated by clericalism and started to control religious expressions since the hierarchy took decisions upon religious cult. The Civil Code not only protected the Catholic Church but compelled it to become more hierarchical, disciplined and differentiated from public affairs in what refers to religious matters. Thus, it had an indirect secularizing effect.