Camilism, [1] Camilismo [2] [3] [4] [5] or Revolutionary Christianity [6] is a far-left political ideology based on the doctrine and legacy of Colombian Catholic priest and communist revolutionary Camilo Torres Restrepo. It is considered a fusion of Christian and Marxist thought, grouped along movements such as Christians for Socialism and the Sandinistas. [7]
In his early years of political activity, Torres identified as a progressive catholic and attacked the Leninist idea of a vanguard, a view he would eventually change, eventually becoming a Marxist–Leninist (although still remaining a devout and faithful catholic). [8]
Inspired by Camilo Torres, Bolivian students were the first to declare themselves Camilistas. [9] The Montoneros also adopted this ideology. [1]
Camilo Torres Restrepo believed in a "new Christianity" where the Roman Catholic Church takes an active role in the reformation of society. [10] Additionally, he praised Joseph Stalin and reportedly prayed at his tomb. [11]
Torres desired a revolution where the poor majorities would seize power from the privileged minorities, believing that:
The Revolution, therefore, is the way to achieve a government that feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, teaches the ignorant, carries out works of charity, of love for one's neighbor, not only occasionally and temporarily, not only for a few, but for the majority of our neighbors. For this reason the Revolution is not only permitted but obligatory for Christians who see in it the only effective and broad way of achieving love for all . It is true that "there is no authority except from God" (St. Paul, Rom. XIII, 1). But St. Thomas says that the concrete attribution of authority is made by the people. [12]
He also believed that:
The Church's temporary defects should not scandalize us. The Church is human. What is important is to believe that she is also divine and that if we Christians fulfill our obligation to love our neighbor, we are strengthening the Church
Torres also stated that, if those minorities did not offer violent resistance, this revolution could be peaceful. He rejected a notion that "trade unionists are the oligarchs of the working class." [13]
Camilo's ideology can be considered a precursor or predecessor of liberation theology, since Torres' doctrine is very similar to it. [14] [15] [16] [6]
Camilo's most significant contributions to Christian Revolutionary speech in Latin America are the following: a) His proposal of rethinking the traditional leftist position that used imported ideological positions as the starting point. b) The position that armed revolution was a legitimate way for Christians to fulfil the duty of helping the poor. c) His position that the revolution led to a process of unity of the people, of Christians and Marxists, who would unite in the struggle. [6]
Another aspect of Camilism-Revolutionary Christianity is it's rejection of stage-based conceptions of revolution, which assert that before the socialist revolution there is a need for a bourgeois-democratic revolution. Camilism was influenced by the orientation of the Cubans and Che Guevara's thesis on the construction of the new man in Cuba.
Torres also argued that the Catholic Church's doctrine of just war provided the moral justification for a violent revolution. [17]
Camilo Torres' political programme was read by Catholic bishop Joseph Blomjous and was found to contain no contradictions to Papal encyclicals. [18]